Two Sides Against the Middle
by Rose of the West
Summary: A young girl finds herself drawn to two very different young men as one of the young men is caught between two very different sides of a war. AU with DH spoilers, Female OC. Over 60K hits!
1. The Date and the Study Partner

_Disclaimer: This story uses JK Rowling's world and people. I didn't create any of them, except for one main OC and a few others. The story is pretty AU, but is not expected to veer too far off the tracks laid down by cannon._

_Author's Note: This would not have gotten too far without the kindness of beta reader Mark Darcy._

* * *

Emily Smith was a sixth year Hogwarts student and a sixteen-year-old pureblood witch. She got good grades, as any proper Ravenclaw would, and had never once gotten a detention. In fact it was true, she thought as she wandered down to the Quidditch pitch on a warm October afternoon to watch her house team practice, there had been no adventure, no spice, and no _romance_ in her life at all.

The Gryffindors were just finishing their practice. She could see James Potter way overhead. He was swirling and swooping and waving at a girl sitting way over on the other side, who had her head buried in a text book. Looked like the sixth years' Charms text. The red hair showed that it must be Lily Evans. Emily sat in the stands, a bit apart from the other students, and sighed deeply.

"Why be so serious on such a beautiful day?"

Emily jumped and looked over toward the voice. She suddenly realized that Sirius Black had been lying on the footrest between some of the bleachers and she hadn't seen him. She got up immediately.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll go." She stood and started walking toward a different section.

"Don't leave on my account. Why would a girl as pretty as you want to be by yourself? Surely a girl like you should be having some sort of excitement... or romance?"

He was following her to a different section of bleachers, so she set off for a third section. He followed her there as well. It seemed he would follow her all around the bleachers, now. Suddenly she stopped. Excitement and romance—wasn't she just wishing for those very things? How could he know? She sat down exactly where she was standing.

"What did you have in mind, Mr. Black?"

"Well, for starters, I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Sirius Black, as you've apparently figured out. You are...?"

"Emily Smith."

He held out his hand and when she didn't immediately offer hers, reached and took, it shaking it between both of his. "I'm pleased to meet you, Emily Smith, very pleased indeed."

He proceeded to narrate the end of the Gryffindor practice and then the entire Ravenclaw Quidditch practice for her. By the time ten minutes were up, a dozen or so students were sitting near them and Emily found herself caught up in several conversations while her house mates streaked by in blue and bronze. Every so often Sirius would look at her and she would smile and blush and look away.

As the practice ended, the crowd dispersed and Emily walked back toward the castle alone.

"Hey, Smith! Wait up!"

She stopped and turned. Sirius was running toward her. She smiled and looked at him.

"You can call me Emily, you know. I should thank you for making me the center of such an interesting group of people. Does that always happen where you go?"

"Often enough, _Emily_. I was wondering if you were going to Hogsmeade this weekend and if we might have a butterbeer together."

"Me? You're asking me?" Emily looked up in surprise.

"Why not?"

"I'm so average-looking."

"Not so very average, and quite fun to talk to. So will you?"

She smiled shyly. "Sure. I'd like that."

He gave her a knowing look. "I'll see you Saturday, then."

He watched her as she walked toward the castle entrance. She had soft, shoulder length brown hair, pale blue eyes, and a kissable smile. When she had sat down in the bleachers the first thing he had seen was how she filled out her robes. Watching her from the side, he decided that her figure was every bit as curvy as it had seemed when looking from below. She was not so very average at all.

* * *

Emily was going over Arithmancy when her study partner arrived in the library. They usually went over all of their schoolwork with each other, but she helped him with Ancient Runes, not that he needed much help, while he helped her with Potions. She didn't need very much help, either, but she wanted to bump her high E up to a solid O. Plus, you couldn't get a better study partner than Severus Snape.

That is except when Lily Evans was in the library. When that happened, it was a mercy if Severus managed to get his books on the table without dumping them on the floor first. They had been good friends at some point before Black and Potter pranked on Snape last spring. Then Severus and Lily had a huge row and had barely spoken since. Evans appeared to be over it, based on the way she tossed her hair when she glimpsed Severus just a minute ago. Thump went Severus's Potion book. He was definitely not over it.

"Are you going to be able to concentrate, here? Do you want to go to an empty classroom to study instead?" Emily asked.

"She hates me now." This was at least the tenth or twelfth time he'd brought it up in the three weeks since school had started. Emily had the response down pat.

"You said something horrible to her. You apologized and she didn't forgive you. It's really her loss, Severus. Anyway, can you look over this essay and tell me what you think? I feel like I'm missing an important point, here."

Severus took her essay. Emily didn't know how he read it, since he was watching the back of Lily Evans's head the whole time, but he noted the corrections she should make and handed it back. She read through it so she could ask any questions she might have. As always, his notes were perfect and he identified the point she was missing. She would re-copy it later.

She went back to her Arithmancy book while he watched Lily Evans over the top of his Charms book. After a while, Evans piled up her books and left. Emily looked over at Severus. He was crestfallen. He looked at Emily, who tried to look sympathetic, and straightened up in his chair. "Here, can you look over this translation for me?"

Emily took it and read through it. "I think this would be better if you inverted these phrases, here, but the rest of it is just as it should be," she said.

"I see what you mean. That is a better way to put it."

"So how are you special lessons going with Dumbledore?"

"He says I have a knack for it, but so far I think he's just using it as an excuse to find out everything about me. Yesterday I was able to keep him from seeing anything that was important, for once."

He started tapping his fingers on the table. "Look, Emily, do you mind if I cut it short and skip out of doing Arithmancy and Charms with you tonight? I have this meeting I want to go to with some of the guys."

"You're going to hang out with those boys who do nothing but talk about the dark arts, aren't you? Do you have to?"

"It's like it's my destiny, Emily. Since my other destiny appears trashed, I'd better stick with this one."

"A destiny you trashed by being too interested in the dark arts. Be careful, Severus."

"Thanks, mother hen. I will."

* * *

Emily was dawdling over her eggs the next morning and looking over some Transfiguration notes when Severus sat next to her.

"It's all over school now."

"_What_ is all over school now?"

"About you and Black. How he chased you all over the bleachers until you sat next to him and then how he ran after you from the Quidditch stadium. Have you picked the names of your children, yet?"

Emily turned red. "Hardly. We sort of ran into each other in the stands and he was being nice."

"He asked you out."

"How did you know that?"

"You just told me."

She buried her head in her book.

"Look, Emily. It's nothing really, to me, except that Black and Potter and their gang would just as soon hex me as look at me, and frequently do. I don't know if we'll be able to study together as much with Black in the picture."

"Severus, he's hardly 'in the picture'. Butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks is not a life commitment. Plus, give me the chance to prove I have at least some brains. I am a Ravenclaw, you know."

"Oh, I know you have brains. It's just that girls seem to lose them when those gits are around."

"You really think I'm going to be like that?"

"Lily is."

Emily stood and started stuffing her books into her school bag. "I'm not a fan of the way Lily treated you, but I think you're selling Lily short. I _know_ you're selling me short. I expect to see you at the regular time and place in the Library. If there is a problem, we will deal with it when it comes up and not before. Trust me." She walked off, leaving Severus sitting at her house table.

He stood and went on his way, too. _I will never trust Black._

* * *

_One last A/N: Thank you for reading! Please feel free to comment via review._


	2. Disappointments

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and characters, my OC_

Emily had several errands to run in Hogsmeade during the weekend. She needed to get more parchment and ink at Scrivenshaft's, and that stop was somewhat easy. After that she had to replenish some of her potions ingredients. It didn't actually take very long, but so many students had the same errand, she waited for quite a while until her number was called at the apothecary counter at Dervish and Banges. Finally, she had to go get measured for new dress robes at Gladrags. Her mother insisted and would send a Howler if she didn't take care of it today.

She arrived at the Three Broomsticks a little late, to see her date waiting for her outside the door. "I'm so sorry! I had to wait forever at the apothecary counter."

Sirius smiled. "It's no problem. I just got here, myself."

They went in and found a table. Emily knew a thrill when Sirius held her chair for her. He ordered for both of them and was a gracious host. Emily could feel herself becoming starstruck even as she told herself not to. She had to tell herself to say or do something intelligent and not to sit there like a bump on a log.

"So, why were you all by yourself in the bleachers the other day?" she asked.

"I was watching Potter fly. He wanted to know if the tail of his broom was wobbling. It's a good way to keep all the other people away, too, if they don't know I'm there."

"I thought you enjoyed that crowd of people. Don't they, you know, belong to you?"

"I could have sworn they only came after you sat down. You must be the life of the party wherever you go."

His grey eyes sparkled meaningfully at her. He was flattering and flirting with her shamelessly, and she needed to keep her head. She asked a question about their homework in Transfiguration and let him talk. She imagined what History of Magic would be like if he were teaching it instead of Professor Binns. It would be the most popular subject at the school.

They finished their meal and left, Sirius again holding her chair for her. He insisted on paying, too. They walked outside into the cool October air and headed toward Hogwarts.

"May I walk you back to the school?" Sirius asked.

Emily nodded. "I guess you might as well, if we're both going that way..."

He gave a great bark of a laugh and reached for her hand. Breathe, Emily told herself, looking everywhere but at the handsome boy who was holding her hand. One of the dreamiest guys at school was holding her hand and laughed at something she said. Emily's other hand had the bag with her purchases so she didn't have one free to pinch herself.

Suddenly he pulled her into an alleyway. "Is there somewhere you need to go?" she was going to ask, when she noticed his face was right next to hers. An instant later Emily was receiving her first kiss, ever. And then her second kiss. The third kiss was definitely in the offing when a scuffle behind her made Emily turn around.

Emily craned her neck to see; Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew were exchanging jinxes with Severus. "Stop that! You're not supposed to be doing magic outside of school grounds!"

Lupin managed to disarm Snape and the three Marauders, as they were becoming known, had him at their mercy. Emily pulled out her wand. "Protego!" The hexes aimed at Snape bounced away harmlessly and he was able to get his wand back.

Emily turned around and glared at Sirius. "Were you just a decoy, to make sure I wouldn't interfere or something?" Sirius just looked at her. "I guess it worked! I thought—Shame on you!" She looked at Lupin. "Some prefect you are! Shame on you all!" She ran out of the alley as some professors came out of a nearby tea shop. Emily adjusted to a steadier pace to walk the rest of the way back to the school. When she got back she took her packages to her dormitory and then went and hid in the library.

* * *

Hours later, Severus found her in a small nook behind the restricted section. "It's dinnertime."

"I'm not hungry."

"You'd better eat, anyway."

"I would probably be sick."

"Thanks for the assist, in any case. They got detention, even Black."

"Thanks for being right and only increasing my humiliation."

"About what?"

"You said, and this is almost a direct quote, that girls lose their brains when those gits are around. Clearly I lost mine when one of the gits pulled me into an alleyway and kissed me. Also clearly, he didn't want me to see my friend getting knocked around by his friends."

"But you did not lose all of your brains. You kept enough of them to see what was happening, and to do something."

"It was my first kiss, Severus. The first time a boy's lips ever touched mine, and I'm never going to get that back." A tear ran down her cheek.

"Did you enjoy it?" He fixed her with that tell-me-all stare he had.

Her eyes turned the slightest bit dreamy. "It hit me like a Jelly-Legs Jinx, I wanted it to go on and on, except when that one stopped, he kissed me again and it was even better."

"Then remember that. Forget who it was even with, if it helps. I take it we're not going to practice Charms this evening?"

"I'm really not up to it."

"How about tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

* * *

After a week of enduring the looks and whispers that went with being Sirius Black's girlfriend for a day, Emily was grateful to see that the school's rumor mill turned to something else. The conversation in the Great Hall turned to how well the Quidditch standings were going or what pranks the Gryffindors and Slytherins were playing on each other. Sirius Black's love life was always a hot topic, too, and Emily was not surprised to discover that there was another girl already being seen with him.

As fall progressed to winter, the topic of who was going to the Yule Ball with whom that year became prominent. The Yule Ball was usually held only in conjunction with the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but since it had been decades since the last tournament and it would likely be decades before another would be held, they continued having the Ball at regular intervals without it.

Emily walked into the library one evening and saw that Severus was sitting at their usual table with his head in his hands. She sighed, because only one thing made him this dejected. She dropped her books loudly on the table, earning a glare from Madam Pince, but getting Severus's attention.

"What happened, this time?"

"She was in the hallway so I went up to her just to say hi and see if I could talk to her, but then Potter came by and said, 'Get away from my girl.' Lily said, 'I'm not anyone's girl,' and the two started arguing, and then they just walked away from me _as if I weren't even there_." He glowered. "Some day Lily Evans is going to notice me. I will _make_ her love me if I have to."

"I'm not sure that's the best path to the female heart."

"And you are speaking from your vast experience with Sirius Black?"

"Ouch, I get your point. Tell me this, though. If you're able to _make_ her do anything, is she really the person you claim to love so much? Wouldn't you rather have her love you because she chooses to love you for your great qualities?"

"It doesn't matter." He started tapping on the table top and Emily pulled out her History of Magic book. She pushed her chair away from the table and read it on her lap. Until Severus got the fidgets out, or whatever he was doing, he was useless as a study partner. Finally he reached into his bag.

"Here, can you read this?"

Emily took the parchment, expecting the Arithmancy essay they had due in two days. Instead it was a letter.

_Dear Lily,_

_If you only knew how sorry I was for speaking that way last year, you would relent and be friends with me again. I want to be your friend again. I want to be more than friends with you..._

She had to stop. "Severus, I thought we agreed that I wasn't going to read any more of these. It's really not healthy. You've got to let it go."

"I can't let it go."

"Well, at least you better burn this and stop writing them. The arch-Slytherin you are should know that stuff like this could be stolen and passed around. Some people might think it's creepy." She looked at him, worried. "Isn't this the sort of thing you should be practicing your Occlumency on?"

He looked chagrined. "You are probably right... Do I really have great qualities?"

"Yes, and I can't imagine why Lily Evans hasn't noticed them."

He brightened. "Maybe she will. Here, can you go over my Arithmancy essay for me?"

"Trade you."

They went over each other's essays, making comments in the margins. Then they went on to Transfiguration and finally discussed the best way to swish and flick while performing the spells given in their Charms homework assignment. Finally, seeing Madam Pince's looks, they started packing up for the night.

"Same time tomorrow?" asked Emily.

"No, I have a meeting."

"Not those people, again."

"They appreciate me, and they will give me the power I need to make Lily notice me. You could come..."

"They disturb the heck out of me. I really don't want to know what goes on during those meetings. I guess I'm destined to just be your study partner."

"Some day you may have to pick a side."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

"Don't wait too long."

"Did I wait too long when it came to Black?"

"No, I guess you did fine."

They were out in the hallway.

"Oh, hey, did you have a date for the Yule Ball?"

"I'm going with a bunch of girls from my house. You?"

"Me, too." Seeing the incredulous look on Emily's face, "Oh, no, a bunch of us snakes are going together and then we can dance with anyone we want."

"This is where I go upstairs. Well, see you in class, then."

She went up the stairs while he went down.

After a few minutes, two heads popped out of an invisibility cloak.

"So are they an item?"

"I don't think so. They just study together. I'm pretty sure I was the first one who ever kissed her. She had this really sweet look on her face until you idiots came into view."

"Oh, so you have a _special_ relationship with her. Can we make Lily think they're an item?"

"What if _I_ wanted to be an item with Smith? That could well be the future Mrs. Sirius Black and mother of the next notorious generation of Blacks."

"Sorry, mate, you aren't an item with anyone. Or rather you're an item with everyone. I've been working on Lily for over five years, you know."

"Do you really think Lily fancies Snivellus?"

"Not exactly, I think she frets over him. If I could just get her to stop thinking about him..."

_A/N: Thank you to Mark Darcy, my beta, and thank you to my kind reviewers!_


	3. Dancing with Destiny

_Disclaimer: all the credit to JKR, who created this world and its people. I just put in an OC._

"Severus, now's your chance. She's over at the drink table by herself."

Emily watched her study partner go across the room and ask Lily Evans to dance. Lily agreed and they set out. Severus was a surprisingly good dancer. He had a natural grace that he had perfected by practicing dueling and he and his dancing partner looked very good together. They seemed to be talking together, too.

Sirius Black and James Potter came into the room and saw the two dancing. They conferred by the door and then Sirius walked out toward the couple and cut in. A dark look crept over Severus' face as Sirius separated the two, and Severus swept out of the Great Hall. Sirius tried to pull Lily toward James, but she slapped him away and walked over to some tables where Gryffindor girls were sitting.

Emily ran out to find Severus. She saw the front doors close and ran out to find him in the gardens, poking at the bushes and cursing under his breath. "Severus, she wouldn't dance with either of them. She went and sat over by the girls."

"Yes, but she only danced with me to tell me that she does not want me to contact her any more. She thinks I've gone too far over into the dark arts."

"She just doesn't understand. Leave that group and she will come around. We still have a year and a half of school..."

"Leave it alone, Emily. I told you. I had two destinies. If the one doesn't work, I have to follow the other."

"Severus, you can do whatever you like. You aren't locked into anything."

"I do not agree with that, and deep in your heart, you know I am right. If I am not mistaken, one of the wonder twins is even now coming, and it would seem he hopes to see you. It looks like destiny is trying her hand with you."

"But Severus—"

"Tell me what you think of destiny after Black takes everything you have to offer, and then dumps you to the side like all his other girls, Emily. Good night."

Severus blended into the darkness and Emily watched him move like a shadow toward the castle. The nerve of him! It's not like she was going to take a tumble with Sirius Black out here in a rose garden in the middle of winter. She had a starry eyed experience the one time and wasn't going to get caught up in that sort of thing again. A different shadow was moving toward her.

"I thought I might find you here." It was Sirius Black.

"You are a total and complete jerk, you know. You didn't have to split them up."

"What's it to you?"

"They were dancing so well together. It was a pity that you cut in."

"Look, Emily, James really wants to dance with Lily and thought Snape was bothering her."

"He could have waited until the next song. Plus, you were a bunch of prats at Hogsmeade that weekend."

"You never gave me a chance to explain... I had no idea that those guys were going to prank on Snivellus that afternoon."

"Don't ever call him that in my presence." Pale though they were, Emily's eyes were snapping at him.

"Whoa! If you insist!" He put his hands up in what was supposed to be a calming motion. "I didn't even realize he was your friend. How serious are you with him?"

"We're just study partners, and friends. We see each other a few times a week and look out for each other from time to time."

He leaned in. "I would like to be your friend, Emily Smith. I would like to be more than your friend..."

He leaned down the rest of the way and kissed her. Emily's third-ever kiss hit her just as hard as the first two had. When there was just the barest brush of his tongue along her lips she thought she would faint. It was over too soon. She reached behind herself and found a piece of statuary to lean against and tried to remember what she had been thinking about when Sirius came out to the garden.

Sirius took a step back and surveyed his handiwork. This one was so innocent and sweet. He peeked at her neckline and admired the roundness he saw there. He cleared his throat. "I shouldn't have taken advantage of you like that."

Her eyes opened and he watched a look move across her face telling him that he was forgiven for any trespass. She was somehow eager as well. Delightful. She would do anything he wanted if he went slowly with her. He needed a distraction.

"You know, I had to move out of my parents' house. They hate that I'm a Gryffindor and that I'm not as in love with pureblood politics as they are." He stood there, astounded at what he had just blurted out.

The look on Emily's face went from dazed to sympathetic and concerned. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"I don't know why I'm bringing it up. You seem so sympathetic."

"I won't tell anyone or anything like that."

"It's OK, most of the world knows all about it. My brother certainly does. I'm sure it's all over Slytherin House."

"So where do you go—?"

"I've been living with Potter. His parents treat me as if I were his brother, unlike those unnatural Blacks. I'll be of age, soon, and then I'll be able to get a flat of my own. I have an uncle who left me a vault full of money. They've no doubt blasted both of us off the family tree for that."

"Wow, that's a lot to handle while we're still students." She looked up at him with concern.

He was tempted to kiss her again. But he could see Slughorn coming.

"Hey, this is the Yule Ball, after all, why don't we go dance?" Without waiting for an answer, Sirius took her hand and led her back to the Great Hall. They danced together for the rest of the night, and when it was over, he walked her to the Ravenclaw door. He wouldn't kiss her again but merely pressed her hand as he said good evening. His sparkling gray eyes said what his lips wouldn't, and he noted with satisfaction that he left behind a starry eyed girl as he went toward Gryffindor tower.

In a quiet hallway a voice asked him, "You see her knickers, yet?" It was James, under his invisibility cloak.

"No, we still haven't even had a proper snog, yet. It's coming, though. It will be a much longer campaign than I'm used to, but all the sweeter for that."

"Longer than it's taken me to get with Evans?"

Sirius laughed. "Nothing is that long, Mate. Any luck on that front?"

"Every time I went to ask her to dance, she set me up with a different wallflower. I'm pretty sure some of them weren't even Gryffindors."

* * *

Emily felt as though she were pulled in two directions during the weeks that followed. She often found a pair of gray eyes sparkling at her in the Great Hall or when walking to class. She always blushed and couldn't control the smile that spread over her face whenever she was in the same room as Sirius Black. He always had a devil-may-care grin on his face and at times seemed to be looking right at her.

On the other hand, study sessions with Severus were a bit tenser. After his seventeenth birthday that winter, he spoke more and more often about joining the group of people who worked so much in the dark arts. Emily could almost see his once sweet eyes turning more and more hollow and empty.

One day, just before Valentines, however, they finished up their homework and were laughing over some of the couples they knew were trying to match up. The old warmth was back in Severus's eyes and Emily just stared at him for a few moments under her eyelashes. Really, Severus could be a bit of a catch with his lovely eyes. His mouth was interesting, too. She imagined that mouth kissing her as Sirius's had and decided it might be just as thrilling. And his hands—what would it be like to have those long, gentle fingers touching one? Add that quiet voice to the mix...

"What?" Severus was looking at her intently.

"What, what?"

"You shivered. Are you cold?"

"Oh, no, I just had an odd thought..."

His look became speculative. She didn't really like that look. It was like a command to tell him everything. It was almost as if he were trying to find out what she was thinking, like he was probing her mind. She broke the stare and picked up her bag.

"I guess, since we're done, we should get back to our houses."

"Yes."

Emily gathered up her books and walked back to Ravenclaw. It didn't do any good to think about what she was thinking about. Even if she didn't have a thing with Sirius, and she didn't know what to call it, Severus was dead gone over Lily. Lily should take a better look at what she was passing up.

"I was hoping I would find you here."

Sirius Black was standing on the staircase between the fourth and fifth floors. He walked up the stairs with her and then grabbed her elbow, steering her into a classroom.

"Emily, I was hoping we could talk for a minute or two."

"OK, talk."

"I really like you."

"Really?" There she was, blushing and smiling way too much, again.

"Really." Suddenly he was kissing her again. There was her fourth kiss ever, and her fifth and sixth and tenth. The toll rose higher than she could count and then his tongue slid across her lips again, but this time she found her mouth opening to him and her tongue was—oh, she hoped her breath was all right—her tongue was moving with his. His hands were sliding around her back and pulling her close, not tightly, but close.

When he released her, she just stood there, breathing heavily. Finally she looked up at him.

"So, Em, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Y-yes Sirius, I really like you too." She caught her breath and smiled at him again. He was already beaming that smile of his at her. Sirius took her school bag and walked her to the Ravenclaw door. When they reached the Eagle door knocker, he brushed his lips over hers in farewell. He watched her into the door and walked back toward the Fat Lady.

"That was entirely too easy," said a voice beside him in the hallway.

"Potter! How long have you been watching?"

"Long enough that I thought we were both going to see the color of her knickers for sure, tonight." James pulled his cloak off.

"I don't think she's that kind of girl, Prongs."

"Then why do you bother? I thought you only date one kind of girl."

"She's just so _nice_. She smiles every time I catch her eye."

"So you're not going to shag her?"

"Oh, I'm definitely going to shag her, but probably not this school year. Maybe not next year, either. And James," he looked seriously at his friend, "you are not invited to watch. Hopefully by then you will have your own girl."

"Ah, if it could only go from your mouth to Evans's ear!"

_A/N: Thanks again to beta reader Mark Darcy and to the kind reviewers who have stopped by and made comments!_


	4. Moonlit Danger

_Disclaimer: All JKR's world and people, particularly the event that forms the basis of this chapter. I just added the one OC._

Spring came fully to the school and sixth year drew toward final exams. Emily was glad to see that Severus was willing to schedule so much time studying because that meant he spent less time with that student group that worried her. She was a bit surprised, then, when he told her he had to leave early one night.

"Are you going to one of those meetings, again? Aren't finals more important?"

"I'm going to meet your boyfriend, actually." He was sorting through his books.

"What could Sirius be doing with you?"

"I've told you that there are nights when they go do something. You've noticed that he doesn't meet you those nights. Sirius told me where they meet. I'm going to go check it out." He was gone with a swirl of his robe.

Emily finished up the essay she was writing and gathered her things together. As she was leaving the library, she bumped into Lily Evans and then James Potter, who was trying to catch Evans's attention.

"Are you done, then?" Emily asked.

"Done what?" James was craning his neck to see Lily.

Emily looked at him. "Severus told me that Sirius told him to meet you guys tonight, that he could see what it is that you do, sometimes."

James suddenly looked worried. "He didn't, he's studying with you, isn't he?"

"Severus left twenty minutes ago."

James put his hand in his hair, ruffling it down for once. "I've got to go."

"James, what's wrong?"

"I can't tell you. That fool of a Black is going to get us all jailed." He dropped his books on the nearest table and left.

* * *

The next night, Severus dropped his books on the table and crossed his arms, looking angrily at Emily. "Some boyfriend you have, there."

"What did he do?"

"I cannot tell you here."

Emily got up and grabbed her books. "OK, where do you want to go?"

He led her to a quiet hallway near the dungeons. "Lupin is a werewolf!"

"What?"

"There's a tunnel that starts at the Whomping Willow and goes to a place where he transforms. Sirius told me how to get there but not what I would find."

"Oh, Severus!" Emily's face went white.

"It turns out that someone asked Potter about it and he came running down in order to rescue me. Those gits have been covering for Lupin for a long time."

Emily leaned against the wall. "I feel like it's my fault somehow. I've been telling Sirius to stop pranking you, and this is what he does. You might have been killed, Severus."

"I went straight to Dumbledore's office. It turns out he knew about this all along, and he told me that if I mentioned it to anyone, I would be expelled, not them."

"You just told me..."

"It will be OK. He knows from the Occlumency lessons that I tell you stuff, but you cannot tell anyone."

"I'm going to talk to Sirius about this, for sure."

"NO! You need to leave it alone." He squeezed his eyes shut and then looked at her in dejection. He slid down the wall and sat on the floor. "I nearly get killed and they get meaningless detentions. When is it going to be my turn to be the valuable one?"

Emily slid down the wall, too, and sat next to him.

"You're my best friend, Severus. I can't be with him if he's going to treat my best friend this way. You're valuable to me."

He looked at the arched ceiling and laughed. "Because I help you make your Potions grade a little more perfect."

"Well at first." His head snapped around and he frowned at her. Emily gave him a half smile and shrugged. "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I want to study with someone who's brilliant? But, Severus, I like your company, too. We make each other laugh—something you don't do much these days—and you give me good advice about things in general, and I just like sitting next to you, even if we're working on different subjects."

His face became thoughtful and then he glowered again. "But the important people, the people like Dumbledore, do not consider me to be worth their effort. I'm not one of his precious Gryffindors."

Emily saw how hurt he looked.

"He's giving you special lessons, isn't he? You have a hard edge, and he really can't treat you the same. Maybe, in his way, he's trying to help you in the ways that will matter. Oh, and, thanks for the compliment, by the way."

He looked a bit chagrined until she giggled. Then he laughed, too, and sighed. "Dumbledore says I owe Potter a life debt, now. A life debt! He says there will probably be some important way that I will repay him."

"That's not the worst thing in the world that can happen to you."

"Do you think I have to just let him have Lily?"

"That's not a decision you get to make and cannot possibly apply, here. That has to be Lily's choice, you know. You just have to see where the life debt leads you, I think."

They chatted quietly and even practiced a few charms while sitting in the hallway. When it got to be time for the library to close, Severus stood up. "I guess it's time to get back to our houses. I should walk you up out of the dungeons. The Slytherins know better than to hurt you, but since you are so close to our territory, here..."

They walked quietly up and parted at the great staircase. Emily went up a few steps and stopped. "Thank you, Severus."

"You are welcome, Emily, and thank _you_."

Sirius was waiting between the fourth and fifth floors. Emily flinched away when he moved to take her elbow and walked past him.

"Hey, Em! What's wrong?"

She turned and looked down the stairs at him. "What do you think is wrong, Sirius?"

"I didn't do it, honest!"

"Do I look stupid?"

"Well, OK, I did do it. But I didn't think anything bad would happen."

"Actually, _you_ are starting to look stupid. What could possibly have happened, Sirius? One of the two of them could be dead, now. If Remus was a—well, he was dangerous, and Severus knows how to use his wand, you know. Do you _ever_ use your head when planning these stupid pranks?"

He just stared at her. "It's just Sni—"

"I warned you not to call him that, Sirius Black! And nobody is ever _just_ anything. Severus is my friend and today you are not." Emily sailed the rest of the way up the stairs and into her house.

_A/N: Thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy and reviewers debjunk and allycat1186, and to everyone who has reads this._


	5. Playacting

_Disclaimer: This world and it's people belong to JKR, an OC and I dropped in to play._

The next morning, Emily ate her breakfast while studying as she usually did and didn't notice how quiet the room became until someone nudged her. She looked up and saw what everyone in the room was watching. Sirius was standing over at the Slytherin table and talking to Severus.

Severus had his arms crossed and Emily recognized the glower she saw on his face. He shook his head and Emily saw Sirius speaking more emphatically. Finally, Sirius held out his hand and Severus shook it as if it were the most disgusting of potions ingredients. Severus stood and swept out of the Great Hall, while Sirius sauntered toward the Ravenclaw table.

It seemed that the spectacle was not over. Sirius sank to his knees at Emily's feet and kissed the hem of her robe before she could snatch it out of his hands. "I was a stupid prat, fair lady. I have apologized to Snape and now I kneel at your feet, a cowering, whipped dog. Please give me your hand and show me you forgive me." He looked anything except penitent, cowering, or whipped. He looked, in fact, as though he were enjoying a role he was playing in a drama.

"I don't know, Sirius. It was pretty awful..."

"What can I do then, Emily? How can I atone for what I did?"

"Not to do any of those awful pranks again."

"For that to happen, you have to spend more time with me, keep an eye on me."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You're running a scam even now."

"Come on, Emily. Think of the story this will be to tell our children."

"I'll think about it. Just go away for now."

"Oh, no, you have to give me your hand now."

Emily tried to stand, but found herself surrounded by Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew. She sighed and held out her hand. Sirius made a big show of kissing it before standing back up as the room broke into applause.

"Will I see you tonight?"

"As long as you leave now and I don't have to see you until then."

* * *

Emily wasn't sure how her study partner would be that evening and wasn't sure even when he arrived in the library. They quietly and quickly worked through their Herbology assignment and were working on Astronomy when Emily quietly asked, "Did he really apologize to you?"

"Black said it was something you really wanted."

"Well, he was right about that, but was it a genuine apology?"

"As genuine as anything I have ever heard come from his mouth."

"I'm sorry he made such a display out of the whole thing."

"I hear that it did not end when I left."

"No, they even woo girls four on one. He wouldn't let me leave until I held out my hand and then he made a big show of kissing it. I almost crawled under the table, except Pettigrew was on the other side."

"Still, you gave him your hand."

"I'm starting to think you're right about the destiny thing. I don't even care anymore; he just seems to be an inevitable part of my life."

"Be careful, Emily."

"Thanks, mother hen."

The remainder of the school year went by with Emily feeling as though the two sides of her life were sliding further and further apart. Severus became more surly and determined to pursue the dark arts, while her moments with Sirius became more physical and yet more flat. All in all, it was a relief when the school year ended and everyone went to their own homes.

_A/N: Thank you all for reading, especially beta reader Mark Darcy and reviewers debjunk and allycat1186._


	6. Seventh Year Begins

_Disclaimer: All JKR's world and people, except my OC_

During her last ever summer vacation, Emily spent her days visiting her mother at St. Mungo's where she was employed, shopping at Diagon Alley, and studying. In the middle of July, she and her mum took a vacation by the shore. She sent letters about her doings to both Sirius and Severus, and got very different sorts of letters in return. One type came from the young man she thought of as her boyfriend.

_Dear Emily,_

_I'm glad to hear you've had fun with your mum. I wish I could have been with you at the beach. I'm sure I would have loved to see you in your bathing suit. I would like to see you in any event. _

_Potter and I have gotten some great pranks going. Can't wait until the first of September._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

Her study partner sent a different sort of letter.

_Emily,_

_Got your letter. Saw Lily the other day. Think she saw me, but she looked the other way. Somehow I need to make her love me._

_Severus_

The ride back to school was different from her previous experiences. When she arrived at platform 9 ¾ alone, since her mother had to work, Emily tried to catch Severus's eye. He turned his back on her and wandered off with the scariest of the Slytherin students. Sirius caught her hand and pulled her into a compartment he had already picked out.

"This way, Em. Potter and Lupin have to go to the prefects' meeting, so it's just Pettigrew and us for now, hey, Wormtail?"

"Yes, that's right," said Peter Pettigrew. "Happy to meet you for real, Emily. Sirius has told us a lot about you."

"Pleased to meet you, Peter," said Emily. "So, Sirius? Is James a prefect this year?"

"You could say that. He's Head Boy."

"How did that happen?"

"Haven't the foggiest. But he's up in the prefects' compartment, with whatever prissy miss got picked as Head Girl, giving directions to the prefects about how to keep the lot of us in line."

"He should know, being one of the ones who needs most to be kept in line," sniggered Peter.

"Very good, Peter. You'll be a proper Marauder, yet."

Emily was getting a bit self conscious about the way the two boys were looking at her t-shirt, so she pulled out her school robes and put them on.

"Hey, I was enjoying the view!" said Sirius.

"You are so busted," Emily retorted. Secretly she didn't know what to think. She rather thought she filled out the t-shirt well, and it was nice to know that the boys seemed to think so. Hopefully that's why they kept staring at the shirt instead of her face. She would hate to think there was a stain or something on the shirt.

The food trolley came by and the boys were arguing over who could eat the most cauldron cakes, when Emily thought she heard bickering down the corridor of the train. The sound of the bickering grew louder and louder until the compartment door opened and Lupin and Potter came in, accompanied by Evans.

"Ah, Emily is here, too! Wonderful! Gentlemen, and lady," bowing to Emily, "I give you...the Head Girl. Please take her off my hands. She's already given me an earful."

"I was just saying that I think we need to be consistent, that we need to set a good example. Jumping out of dark corners and scaring first years half to death should be wrong for everyone, even the people in this compartment." Lily was speaking to James, still trying to carry her point.

"What if I agree with you?"

"What?" Lily looked taken aback.

"What if I said I agree and we'll do it your way?" Emily thought that if James Potter had looked at her that way, she would faint. Lily seemed to take it as her due.

"That would be very nice, James."

"Would you go out with me?"

"Well, after I saw if you really did it, I might."

Three of the other four people in the compartment just stared as they saw James smile brightly.

"Then I'll do it, Lily, for you."

She'd been taken in and she knew it. "Well, you should do it because it's right," she said, tartly.

* * *

Emily went to the library the first night with trepidation. Based on the look Severus gave her at the train station, she couldn't tell if he still wanted to study together or how he would act if he did. As it happened, he was at their table before she was. Although he wasn't exactly smiling, he didn't greet her with the scowl he had been wearing the day before.

Emily put her books down and asked, "What are we studying today?"

He handed her his Charms book. "Could you quiz me on the summary table of last year's charms? I want to make sure I know them cold for tomorrow."

She acquiesced and tested him until it was clear that he knew everything. He held out his hand for his book, but she was looking in the margins.

"So, are these counter charms and spells for the dark curses you were working on?"

He looked the slightest bit embarrassed. "Give me that."

"Hold on," she said while looking at some of them and reading his notes. "You must have worked all summer on this. It's fantastic."

"They don't work that well, yet."

"Is this a counter hex for _Crucio_?"

"That one doesn't work."

"Not at all?"

He sighed and showed her the notes for it. "See? This should make it stop, but it only reduces the effect."

"How do you know?"

"I just know. When I cast it—by myself you know—it doesn't feel right."

Emily looked up at him. "This is really excellent work. You should be proud of yourself. Even reducing the effect is better. Did you show any of this to Lily?"

"She won't even look at me. The one time I tried to say hi, she set her sister's new boyfriend on me." He made a face. "Big, ugly brute. I'd rather go to the Yule Ball with Potter or your dog of a boyfriend."

Emily smiled. "Is he really such a dog?"

"Who in our class has he not... dated, for lack of a word I can use in the presence of a lady?"

"Well, that's true... but back to this work of yours. Have you shown any of it to your friends in that group?"

"They're not interested."

"I see." She thought for a minute and was about to speak when Severus jumped in.

"Don't start on me and the dark arts any more. It just seemed like I needed to get a better sense of control over it." His face was caught between what was becoming his normal scowl and a look of pride.

"Well, I think it's a marvelous direction and if I can find a way to bring it to the attention of a certain Head Girl for you, I will."

* * *

The new friendship between the Head Boy and the Head Girl took the school by storm. Even first years, who had no idea of their previous animosity, were clued in so that they, too, could be amazed at Evans's new cordiality toward Potter. After a few weeks it even became clear that this friendship was headed toward romance. Lily made good on her promise that she would date James if he worked harder to reduce pranking at school. To the surprise of many, she seemed to enjoy dating James and continued much longer than expected.

Severus still studied with Emily most evenings in the library. He said as little as possible to her and instead looked angry when they weren't looking at each other's essays. As always, his suggestions were spot on, so she took them meekly and avoided saying anything that might anger him further. He finished whatever they were working on during any given session and ran off, to those meetings that worried her.

Sirius resumed his habit of meeting her on the staircase and leading her into the fifth floor classroom. They spent several breathless minutes on those evenings snogging and then he walked her to her house. To date he had been very gentlemanly with her, if what Emily had heard in the dorms was true. It seemed that boys used their hands to grope a girl half to death. So far, Sirius ran his hands through her hair or touched her face. Occasionally he crushed her body into his, but that was as far as it went.

Although he was one of the most sought after guys at school, Emily was starting to find her interest flagging. Beyond the initial thrill of kissing a boy, and the secondary thrill of that boy being one of the coolest at school, she was wondering if there was something she was missing. Still, she saw him. Their makeout sessions were pleasant enough.

_A/N: Thank you allycat1186 and debjunk for reviewing, and thank you Mark Darcy for beta reading, and thank you to all who have read this._


	7. An Immodest Proposal

_Disclaimer: All JKR's world and people except for my OC._

_Also: This is a chapter that leads to the M rating not so much for what happens as for what is implied._

On a night shortly before the November Hogsmeade weekend, Severus was unusually loquacious. "I'm going to do it, Emily. I'm going to become a Death Eater."

"They doesn't sound at all nice, Severus." She looked up from the Herbology essay she was recopying.

"It's not that bad, really. I'm going to develop the powers I know I have. And then I'll be able to do things. I'll be part of something important, and some day, we're going to be in charge." He had a gleam in his eye that was disturbing.

"Severus, I really don't like the sound of it. Honestly, it doesn't even sound like you. You aren't just one of a group, you're supposed to be someone great. I wish you would reconsider."

"Maybe you should join me, Emily, it will be during the Hogsmeade weekend. We will apparate from town."

Emily shook her head. "I just don't think I can be part of something like that. I'm supposed to be a healer, like my mum, and work at St. Mungo's. Are you saying we can't study together any more?"

"No, I am supposed to continue my school work and do well on my NEWTs."

"Are you even that much in love with the dark arts any more? You seem to spend more time trying to figure out how to work counter charms lately than you do creating those new curses."

"If you are not going to join me in the Death Eaters, is it any of your business?" Emily blinked at him. He looked at her coldly. "I guess I will see you Sunday night."

Emily looked at him pleadingly, but he turned and left, his robe swirling behind him. There was nothing left to do but pack up her books and leave the library, herself. She walked toward the staircase with a heavy heart.

Sirius met her at their usual place and it was like a breath of fresh air. Emily kissed him with more fervor than had been her wont, hoping he could somehow make her worries about her study partner go away. In response, he kissed her senseless and on this night one of his hands, that was holding her tightly to him, moved gently, almost timidly, to explore the front of her robe. She was shocked at his boldness but found it interesting. She stopped kissing him and looked into his eyes.

For once, he looked a bit uneasy. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should never have done that. Your kisses, tonight, they just seemed so different, so passionate."

"I— I got some news today. I guess it's thrown me for a loop." Emily sat down on a student desk.

"That's OK, Em. I found it to be wonderful. Sometimes a guy likes a girl who will show how she feels." He was giving her the look that usually melted girls completely, but the mood with Emily seemed irrevocably broken. "Do you want me to walk you to your house, now?"

"Actually, Sirius, would you mind just leaving me here? I'll be fine, and I could use some time to think without the craziness of the common room."

"Are you sure you'll be safe?"

"Quite."

"Those Slytherins..."

She sighed. "Nott and Rosier tried to attack me during second year and Severus put them in the hospital wing for a week. They all leave me alone."

It took him a minute to digest that. "You two go way back."

Emily shrugged.

He thought some more. "That must have been some pretty sophisticated magic. _Second_ year?"

She shrugged again. "No one knows more about magic than he does, at least, none of the students. He studies hard, when he's not being attacked by your lot. How do you think he comes off so well, when you go after him four on one?"

He shrugged this time. He didn't care and the conversation needed to be steered away from other boys. "You have passions I didn't realize, Emily. I hope you share them with me again."

She was lost in her own thoughts, so he kissed her, walked to the door, and opened it. "Emily Smith, if I'm not very careful, I think I'm going to fall in love with you." And then he was gone.

Emily wondered what was the matter with her. Why was it that she only she kissed Sirius that way when she was thinking of Severus? If she hadn't been so worried about Severus it would have been just another snogging session. And what was up with Sirius' hand? Should she have let him do that? Was she a piece of produce that he needed to test before buying? Shouldn't it have felt like something more than that to her?

Suddenly Severus, himself, was there before her, sneering.

"Are you swooning with emotion in response to that declaration?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Someone needs to look after you and see what's going on during your snogging sessions. When you didn't come out with him, I worried. Has he talked you out of your knickers, yet?"

"Lovely way to put it, but no, Severus, he has not. Did you have some sort of timer? After so many minutes, were you going to come in here and start hexing things? Is it really any of your business?"

"Potter meets him here, some nights. He thinks he's so invincible in that cloak that he doesn't check the hallway corners as well as he might."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Since last spring when I discovered he was bringing you in here. They discuss you in lurid detail. He likes dating you because he thinks you're shaped like those girls in the bathing suit ads he loves. Tonight's description was, and I quote, 'like a lingerie model.' Did something different happen tonight?" He peered down at her.

"N—not so very different." Emily crossed her arms over her chest.

Black is going to talk you out of your virginity and then toss you aside."

"Do you really think so?" Emily twisted her lip.

"He has as much as said so to Potter."

Emily was irritated, but it didn't really hurt that much. She still wasn't sure how much she liked Sirius, except when they were kissing. Then she wanted more of _something_ out of it. What Sirius said about the girl showing what she feels was swimming around in her mind. "What if I've already given my virginity to someone else?"

"_What?_" Severus was looking her all over, calculating.

"I haven't yet, but you seem to value it more than Sirius does. Perhaps more than I do. What if I gave it to you?"

"_WHAT?_" He took a step back.

"...in exchange for you not becoming one of those Death Eaters?" Emily stood up and walked over to Severus. "I've often wondered, Severus, just as a sort of intellectual exercise, what it would be like to have your hands on me. You have nice hands, you know."

In for a sickle, in for a galleon, she thought, and reached for his hand. Just touching his hand gave her a thrill. When she placed it where Sirius' fingertips had been probing just minutes before, a jolt of energy jumped between them. Her eyes got wide and sought his, but they were unreadable, perhaps a bit curious. At least Severus didn't pull away immediately. He looked at her and tried to assess what he was feeling.

"Severus, I will do it here and now or where ever, whenever, you ask. Please just don't join the Death Eaters."

He licked his lips and pulled his hand away. "You ask too much, and you offer far too much, Emily. I— thank you for thinking I'm worth it."

"Consider it Severus. Just say the word. I'll be waiting."

"Not if Black has his say about it. He's practically written you into his appointment calendar."

She shook her head. "I don't know why, because I really like him, but I couldn't do it with him, not any time soon."

"But you would with me?"

"Crazy, huh?"

"Maybe, if you were Lily..."

"I wish for your sake that I were. I wish there was some way I could keep you out of the Death Eaters."

"Why do you dislike them so much?"

"They killed my dad for not becoming one. They made it look like a Muggle car accident, but it was them." She looked up at him. "Don't become one of them. There is nothing you could get from them that you won't do better for yourself."

"You must be mistaken, Emily. They could not be like that. That you would give so much, though..." For just a moment he pulled her close and hugged her. "Thank you, Emily, you don't know what this means." For a minute, Emily could see the Severus she had known months before in his eyes. Then she watched his eyes become unreadable and a grimace settle over his lips. "I'll see you on Sunday, then." He was gone quickly.

Emily pressed her body to the classroom door and listened to his footsteps die away. Then she slid to the floor. She sat there for some time, thinking about the young man she wished she loved and the one with whom she was falling in love. There were some days when she didn't know which was which.

_A/N: Well, that was a bit different! Please keep in mind that these characters are fully of age in their world._

_Meanwhile thank you for reading, thanks to allycat1186 and debjunk for reviewing, and thank you very much Mark Darcy for beta reading._


	8. Thoughts and Conversations

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and people except for my one OC._

Severus did not join the Death Eaters that week. He arose that morning and prepared for the day as usual, taking extra care to look a little better than he normally did. Some of the people he would see were quite influential. When he took a last look in the mirror, he saw Emily and knew that he would not be able to go.

The look in her eyes when he told her that he had not gone through with it was worth the verbal jabs he received around the common room. Then she had to ruin the moment by making that offer, again. He knew exactly how he would kiss her and touch her if he ever took her up on it, but it was not to be considered seriously. His one love was Lily and if he could not be with her, there would be no one.

Still, it was hard to get the idea of Emily out of his mind. She was so fresh and sweet and yet that night she had been almost wanton. He couldn't understand what would cause her to make such an offer. Likewise, he couldn't imagine another single girl he knew, including Lily, who would make that kind of suggestion. Lily would require him to make that sort of sacrifice for her without giving him anything in return.

His next lesson with Dumbledore had been quite difficult. For once he was able to bury his feelings for Lily and he knew that the Headmaster had not seen them. Emily's offer had been harder. Based on the way Dumbledore looked at him over those glasses, Severus suspected that he had not been as successful. The Headmaster didn't ask him about it, but had merely asked if he was having more troubles with the Marauders.

The Marauder front had calmed a bit. Lily had perhaps redirected James, or else he was taking his Head Boy duties seriously. Maybe they didn't seem to have as much time to think up complicated and dangerous pranks because of the studying they had to do this year. With Sirius and now James having steady girlfriends, perhaps much of their time involved trying to be with those girls.

Interestingly enough, Severus felt that Lily could take care of herself on that score. Although he couldn't understand why Lily would date James at all, he knew that she was wise to his tricks and would not fall for them. Emily was behaving much more recklessly these days in his opinion. There was no denying that she had developed quite a figure in the past two years, which no doubt accounted for Black's interest. Severus worried that she had developed an incautious attitude with it.

So far, from the comments he had heard Black make to Potter, Severus knew that if Emily wasn't keeping Black at arm's length, she was at least keeping him at bay so far. It was hard not to notice that Black was running through quite a few of the underclassmen as he waited for Emily, having already gone through all of the willing seventh years. There were many quiet whispers around the school on the subject, as well as some fairly smug looks passed to Emily from the girls Black spent time with. How Emily could stand it, Severus did not know. He only knew that he was now waiting until the last possible minute to join the Death Eaters because it was perhaps the only thing protecting Emily from herself where the tall Marauder was concerned.

* * *

In February a man who was known as Lord Voldemort and his followers, known as the Death Eaters, scored a major hit. They destroyed a highway bridge and killed dozens of Muggles in the process. Since it was daylight, the Muggles didn't notice the fireworks that looked like a skull with a snake in its mouth hanging above the scene, but the Aurors who went to investigate did not fail to notice. Nor did the ministry fail to notice the manifesto delivered anonymously to the front desk, demanding that Muggle born people not be allowed to practice magic. Many of the details were left out of the _Daily Prophet_, but enough were left in that most of the readers could fill in the blanks if they chose.

During the rest of the school year house rivalries grew worse and worse, particularly between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Outside, the rivalries were between those who believed in pureblood supremacy and everyone else, and these two houses within Hogwarts seemed to have taken those sides for their own. The Marauders went back to their normal levels of pranking and the Slytherins responded with eager brutality.

Emily was awash in doing homework and studying for her NEWTs. She had a fairly aggressive course plan and did not even make it to all the Quidditch games. She didn't bother to go home for the Christmas or Easter holidays and continued her studies.

The rivalries that surrounded Emily only broke into her consciousness when Severus came to their study sessions with the remnants of some injury. She stopped asking what happened when it became clear that it almost always involved Sirius and his friends. Instead, she felt guilty and quietly went over the assignments he asked her to check, trading off with him and taking his advice about her work equally quietly.

On one spring night he seemed to be limping and she couldn't be quiet about it. "Severus, I'm so sorry. I've told Sirius time and again. He's convinced you've gone over to the dark arts completely and his friends think this makes you fair game. He tells me he won't hurt you for my sake, but he's not terribly apologetic when I yell at him about it."

"You yell at him? About me?" He looked incredulous. "Why would you do that?"

"I can't help it. You're my friend, Severus." There were tears in her eyes.

His face turned hard as he looked at her. "Why do you still date him?"

She sighed. "His eyes make promises to me and so far his kisses have not delivered. I'm trying to see if they ever will."

"You haven't—?"

"No, that offer is still very much available to you." When she put her hand on his, something moved between them.

He pulled his hand away. "You knew that I did not go to Hogsmeade last weekend?"

"I waited for you," she whispered. "If I saw you, I was going to try one last time, even seduce you if I could."

He raised a doubtful eyebrow. "You think you can?"

"I know what I felt when your hand was on me. I know you felt something, too."

He could feel his hand tingle where it had touched her. He rubbed it with his other thumb. "I would feel that way with any girl, I'm sure."

"Sirius' hands don't make me feel the way yours did. Believe me, he's tried."

"He touched you, _there_?" Severus looked a different sort of angry.

"Only once or twice, I don't think my yawning encouraged him to continue the practice."

"There was no yawn with me."

"No."

Severus felt a sudden unreasonable anger. "_Why_ do you still see him?"

"No one else wants me."

"That cannot be true. There must be several..."

"Do you see a line?"

What would it hurt if he did what she wanted? In all honesty, he was getting tired of the pranking. He never liked being the butt of the Marauders' pranks. Truth be told, he liked the dark pranks of his own mates less and less too. There were days when he longed for an excuse to not join the Death Eaters. He loved the dark arts, and he craved power, but not the way the Death Eaters used it.

The answer to his question walked into the library and into the stacks. Red hair, green eyes and perfection summed up the person of Lily Evans. If he were ever to have a chance with Lily, he would have to be as pure of other girls as he hoped she was of other boys.

"Sorry, Emily, I cannot."

Emily saw what caught his attention and her eyes turned a stormy color he didn't think he'd ever seen before. "If she were that wonderful, how can she have failed to notice that you're not as active in that student group anymore, that you haven't joined the Death Eaters yet, and that you still admire her? How, in the eight or ten years she's known you, can she have missed how your eyes light up at the sight of her? How can she not see how fanciable your lips are, and how romantic your voice is? How can she watch your hands prepare potions or handle a wand and not want those hands on her?"

Severus was taken aback. "Emily?"

She looked horrified by her own forthrightness. "Never mind. I know, Severus, but the offer still stands. I can hold Sirius off as long as you can hold off the Death Eaters." She had been stuffing her books into her bag, and now stood up and left.

Sirius met her at their usual place and was delighted to see her early.

"Emily!" His smile shone through his whole body, but Emily wasn't up to snogging with him.

"I'm sorry, Sirius, I need to beg off tonight."

"Has someone hurt you?"

"No, it's a problem I brought onto myself."

"Want to talk about it? Can I," he cleared his throat and looked romantically at her, "make it better?"

"That's really sweet, Sirius, but I should go up. I think I need to wash my hair." She exchanged wits with the Ravenclaw door knocker and went up into the house tower.

"Wow, slammed down, completely."

"Thanks, Prongs."

"Do you want the cloak? I'm going to go to the library and wait for Lily."

"I'll come with you. What do you suppose is up with Emily?"

* * *

Severus couldn't believe the feeling with which Emily had just addressed him. He felt a little bad for her. Lily was his goddess, but Emily was a good friend to him and he wouldn't see her hurt for anything. Even less did he want to be the source of her pain if that was what just happened.

"Hey, Sev." Suddenly the goddess was standing next to his table. He stood up and winced as he put weight on his foot.

"The Marauders did that, didn't they?" Surprising how this conversation was starting so similarly to the one he just had. He struggled to keep his face non-committal.

"It's nothing, but please sit down." His heart skipped a beat when the goddess sat. Emily's chair was not good enough for her, but it would have to do.

"Listen, Sev, I wanted to let you know that I've noticed that you aren't hanging around with those Death Eater wannabes so much any more. Thank you. I always knew you were better than that."

"It was for you, Lily." That wasn't entirely true, but it mostly was.

"I wish you would stay away from them because you know that it's right. Emily must have found the right thing to say. I wonder why you couldn't stay away from them back when _we_ were friends..."

"Lily..." He was going to tell her, now, here, how he felt.

"Listen, Sev, I'm glad for the chance to tell you, before it gets around. James and I are getting engaged. We're moving in together as soon as school ends. I'll be training at St. Mungo's, and James is going to enter the Auror program. Maybe we'll see each other around."

"Oh, sure, Lily." Dying must feel like this, he thought. He didn't think he was breathing and he knew his heart had stopped.

Lily felt that she had a good conversation with him. She failed to notice the stricken look on his face and that she had ripped his heart out as surely as if she had summoned it. She patted his hand and got back up. "It's great talking to you, again, Severus."

"Yes, Lily."

"Well, see you in class."

"Good evening, Lily."

Severus watched as Lily walked out of the library and offered her lips to Potter. The door shut and he was alone with his reflections. Emily had said something that he should recall, but first he had to sit here long enough for his heart to start beating again.

_A/N: __Thank you for reading, especially beta reader Mark Darcy and reviewers allycat1186 and debjunk. Even if you haven't yet, feel free to review and tell me what you think!_


	9. School Days End

_Disclaimer: JKR's except for my one OC_

News of the engagement between Lily Evans and James Potter spread quickly. Two weeks before NEWTs, Severus was more difficult to work with than ever. His face wore a constant scowl and his eyes switched at times between those of a wounded animal and dark emptiness. He lashed out with a scary frequency. Emily was tempted to break off their study sessions, but she wouldn't be another person who left him. Plus, he seemed to unbend a bit with her in the library.

"You have to see that there's nothing else for me, now," he said, speaking yet again of the Death Eaters.

Emily shook her head. "I'm sorry, Severus. Personally, I think she should have given you more of a chance, but she clearly wasn't feeling what you felt. _I_ would have given you more of a chance. Some day you're going to ask yourself why Lily never gave you that chance, if she's so wonderful."

"That's easy. I'm not good enough for her."

"You are perfectly good enough for her or for anyone else who chooses to love you."

"Thank you, Emily. You are the only reason I have not become a Death Eater, yet."

"I'm willing to execute the agreement we discussed."

"You are the only one who has discussed it and I don't know what you would get out of it."

"Besides keeping your soul intact, the soul of my most constant friend here at Hogwarts?" Emily shrugged. "Apparently you're right about Sirius. He came back from the last Quidditch match with that blond sixth year from Hufflepuff. They had matching leaves mussed in their hair, and their robes weren't fastened properly. Really, I'm supposed to be his girlfriend. I'll probably let him shag me eventually, but I don't see why he needs to be my first, under the circumstances."

Severus was curious in spite of himself. "All those other girls, and you never seem to really care about it."

"Weird, isn't it? When he's kissing me, I feel like I want to know if there's more to it, but when he's not in the room, it's like he's just some guy. It's completely superficial."

"If you have no deep feelings for him, then why?"

"I haven't had a better offer."

* * *

Severus and Emily studied and drilled each other mercilessly during the last two weeks before NEWTs. They hardly came out of the library except to go to classes and when Madam Pince chased them out at night. Severus ignored his meetings and Emily ignored Sirius. For two weeks, it was just as it had been for seven years.

Outside the library Severus was grim and angry, and Emily was the perfect girlfriend on the arm of Sirius Black. Inside the library, the two friends studied, joked together, and shared their plans. Emily saw the smiling young man she had known for so long when his face softened to go over class notes. Severus saw the sweet girl he knew underneath the brittle veneer of worldliness that she had adopted. It was a vacation from an adulthood that was approaching too fast.

Studying ended and testing began. There were shorter study sessions each evening to assess how they had done and brush up on the next day's subjects. Afterwards Severus went to his meetings and Sirius demanded that Emily pay him some attention. As the testing ended, end of school year activities claimed them both and they were caught up in House parties and other events. Every so often they caught each other's eyes and nodded in the Great Hall, but that was the extent of it.

The day that the NEWT grades were given to the students, Severus tried to find Emily but she was not in her own house or Gryffindor. He didn't see her on the grounds or any of her other common haunts, so he tried the one place he occasionally found her hiding when something bothered her: the small space behind the restricted books section of the library. She was there, dry eyed, but had obviously been crying pretty hard.

"Move over," he said.

"We haven't both fit back here since third year," said Emily, moving in spite of herself.

"Here," he said. He sat with his back against the wall and pulled her up against himself. It might be a mistake, because they both felt the sensation of more than just the contact of bodies, but he decided to risk it.

"Um, Severus, won't we get in trouble if we're found in this position?"

"What are they going to do, give us detentions?"

Emily giggled, and then sighed.

"So, Emily. I have Outstandings, straight down the list."

"I do, too. That's really great, Severus. Our study program was highly successful."

"And, I went to see Dumbledore today for my last lesson with him and he told me that I had worked really hard and that he was proud of me, and _he shook my hand_. He also said that if I ever need help, I should contact him."

"I told you that you were valuable."

"I wanted to share it with you. You have been my study partner and my most faithful friend these seven years."

"It has been my privilege, Severus. You're probably my best friend, too." She stifled a sob, but he felt it.

"So now, my most faithful friend, supposing you tell me what troubles you so much that you have hidden in a place that surely only you and I and the house elves know?"

"I overheard Ja... I mean Sirius' friends talking to him about getting married. They were asking him when he and I were going to get engaged so we could all get married at the same time. He told them that he doesn't think we will ever get married. Li—um, the girl—left the room and Sirius told his friend that he hoped I wouldn't make him wait much longer but that in any case he didn't see himself ever getting married.

"Severus, all this time he's been talking as if we were supposed to get married all along. He said things like 'When we're old together' or 'That's what we'll tell our children' and that sort of thing all the time. You told me that he just wants to shag me and then move on, and I believed you, but it's so different to hear it said out loud by him."

"Emily, I wish I had been wrong. I could hex him for making you cry."

"You do always think with your wand, don't you?" Emily smiled in a twisted sort of way. "I wasn't crying because I wanted the marriage and the kids. Not with him. I was crying because _I don't care_. I should have burst into tears and broken up with him then and there.

"Part of me wants him to shag me and then just disappear forever so that I can get it over. I shouldn't feel that way about him. I should be madly in love with him. On paper we're a good match. Family history, our personal attitudes about recent politics..."

"Emily, you should not do that, just to get it over. You should do it because you love him. You should find someone else, someone who will love you, someone you do want to marry."

"We will have to see."

"Look, I will not join the Death Eaters until I really must. Promise me you will wait, that you will see what other men you meet at St. Mungo's while you are training."

"I promise, Severus. I will wait as long as you do. Or, we could still..."

"Emily, please don't bring that up at a time like this."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, but it was clearly going to be a mistake. They were very aware of each other sitting so closely.

Emily could feel Severus's breath in her hair. She tried to think of something to say and then remembered. "So tell me, are you going to come over for dinner once a week when we're both working in London?"

"Would you like that?"

"It would really be good. We can talk about what we're doing at work, and discuss things, maybe even work on our studies together. There might be ways we can help each other."

"It sounds like a good idea. Let's plan on it, then. It cannot be when it interferes with my other meetings."

Emily sighed. "No, I guess not. We'll have to keep in touch to make sure which nights are best."

Silence came upon them again, and although it was not uncomfortable, the relative positions of their bodies was uncomfortably full of an unresolved tension that Severus did not want to admit. He realized how close his hand was to Emily's waist and that he had an urge to put his arm around her. He spoke this time.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, much better, thank you."

"Perhaps it's getting close to dinner time?"

"Oh, yes. We should probably—"

Emily's problem now was how to get up without putting her hands someplace embarrassing. Somehow she managed it and walked around the rare books section to where she could see the clock over Madam Pince's desk. Severus came out behind her. It was indeed dinner time and they walked down stairs together, separating at the door of the Great Hall.

"Well, see you."

"Yes, have a good summer."

_A/N: Thank you for reading, and to reviewers debjunk and allycat1186, and to beta reader Mark Darcy!_


	10. Mourning

_Disclaimer: All JKRs except one OC_

School days ended and the former seventh years went on to their futures. Within weeks of arriving in London Emily started her healer training along with Lily, Sirius and James began the round of testing that started Auror training, and Severus began advanced training with a Potions Master.

As they had agreed, Severus and Emily started having dinner together once a week. Occasionally they went to restaurants in Diagon Alley, although Severus, as a known friend of Death Eaters, often received dirty looks. After a while, Emily had her own flat near the hospital and they simply had their dinners there. Sometimes it was the best time in the week for either of them. Severus usually wore a demeanor that was scornful or angry at the world around him, but he could speak and behave with Emily like a normal person. Emily enjoyed a night that didn't have the pressures of Sirius' constant playfulness or desires.

Sirius could not understand why Emily continued her friendship with Severus, and complained loudly whenever it interfered with some plan or other he had made. "He's a Death Eater, Emily! How can you even be in the same room with him! You're ruining your reputation!"

Emily was very clear with her response. "First of all, I know for a fact that he is not a Death Eater."

"How do you know that?"

"Never you mind. He and I made an agreement and neither of us has breached it. Meanwhile, the problem with the Death Eaters is that they think some people are better than others. If I want to be above that, I have to be friends with whoever my friends may be."

"Of course we're better than Death Eaters!" Sirius got a wild look in his face.

Emily would shake her head. "If you are going to have that opinion, you will fall into the same error that they have, eventually."

Sirius tried to get Emily to join an organization that he had joined with James and Lily. It sounded like a great group of people, but she preferred to stay out of politics if possible. As a healer, she hoped that her patients would never have to worry about the sort of care she might give them based upon her loyalties. Besides that, the group seemed inclined to recklessness. She found that she had to provide emergency treatment to many people who were Sirius' friends these days.

In her efforts to heal people who had been cursed or hexed by the Death Eaters, Severus was turning out to be her best help. On their dinner evenings, they usually cleaned up and then spread their books out on the table as they worked on their advanced studies. Emily could tell Severus about the curses she had seen that week for which the experienced healers did not have effective treatments. Sometimes he could help her with counter charms or recommend potions to cure the victims.

* * *

The pattern was set for the next year. Occasionally Emily had to work a series of evening or night shifts at the hospital and she and Severus had to find a different way to manage their weekly get together. Still, there were few weeks that they did not share a meal and the day to day events of their lives.

One springtime night Severus came on a different night than usual. Sirius was visiting her at the time and showed his annoyance. "Snape! You need to wait your turn. I get to have Emily tonight."

Severus raised his eyebrows at how this was said. "Actually, I came with news."

"You might have interrupted something," Sirius wanted to press his point.

Severus glanced inquisitively at Emily. She shook her head

"You in particular might find it to be of interest, Black." Severus's face gave nothing away, but there was a chill in his voice.

"What is it, Severus?" asked Emily.

Severus looked at Emily, calm but concerned, and Sirius, wild and angry. Both were standing.

"It's about your brother, Black. The Death Eaters are all discussing the fact that he is dead."

Sirius sat down. "Not Regulus? Regulus is dead? What happened?"

Severus shook his head. "I could not find out. Some have mentioned that the house elf, Kreacher, was with him when he died." He looked at the other two in the room and turned to Emily. "I should go."

Emily walked him to the door. He said, "I thought he would want to know and that this would be the best place to meet him without raising questions."

"I think you are right. Thank you Severus. I am sure he appreciates it."

As always, Severus rearranged his face to an impassive, slightly hostile stare, and went out her door. As Emily watched, Severus faded into the shadows and then she heard the pop that indicated he had disapparated.

Back in her sitting room, Sirius was not doing well.

"He was my baby brother. How could he be dead?" He had found some wine Emily had in her kitchen and was drinking it from the bottle.

Emily sat near him and spoke gently. "Do you think it was an altercation with your group?"

"They would have told me, I'm sure. He must have done something that displeased the Death Eaters and they killed him for it."

"Is there any way you know to get more information?"

"There's that miserable Kreacher. I'm still part of the family by blood. He would have to tell me the truth." Sirius stood. I'll see if I can find him and get it from him. Can I come back tomorrow night?"

"I will be here, Sirius."

* * *

When Sirius returned the next night, his hair was wild and his eyes were red ringed. He was holding an open bottle of firewhiskey by the neck. Emily brought him in and sat him at her table with a plate of dinner. She then found a glass and proceeded to pour his whiskey into it. Finally, she put some coffee on to perk.

"He had changed his mind," Sirius began. "Kreacher told me that he couldn't tell me what happened. He promised Reg that he wouldn't, the little--"

"Sirius, please." Emily wanted to re-direct him.

"He had changed his mind and lost his life because of it. He-who-must-not-be-named killed him."

"I'm so sorry, Sirius."

He sighed. "At least he was on the right side when he died, right? He was fighting against the evil at the very end."

"You can take comfort in that."

"Yes." He finished his dinner and started sipping the coffee Emily put in front of him. "Oh, and the best part of the drama, Kreacher tells me, is that Walburga Black forgives her older son and is willing to take him back into the family home. Although he is a blood traitor, he is likely to marry a pureblood witch of perfect connections and provide the Black family with true heirs."

Emily smiled. "That's a lot to assume, I suppose."

"That's right." He put his coffee cup down and poured himself some more firewhiskey. "There is no way I will ever give heirs to that woman. I told that to the elf in no uncertain terms and sent him back to the old hag." He went and sat down on the sitting room couch. "Em, my baby brother is dead."

Sirius then proceeded to drink as much of the bottle as he could before falling asleep. Emily covered him and prepared him a restorative for the morning. She then sat down on a chair to keep an eye on him.

_A/N: Just one, today! Thank you for reading, thank you to reviewers debjunk and Allycat1186, and to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	11. Stag Party

_Disclaimer: All JKR's people and places except for my one OC_

_This is an M chapter._

_A/N up front so as not to dispel the mood at the end: Thank you for reading; please review! Thanks to reviewers debjunk, allycat1186 and excessivelyperky. Thank you very much to beta reader Mark Darcy who helped me finally decide that this is the actual plot of this story. _

"Severus! You're earlier than I expected tonight!" Emily spoke as she opened the door of her flat on a summer evening and was surprised to see not Severus, but the four Marauders on her doorstep. It was Severus's regular night for their dinner and he had sent her an owl warning her that he might be late.

"Em, Love! We thought we'd have a quiet celebration to commemorate James's marriage tomorrow to the lovely Lily Evans and wondered if we could have it here." Sirius was holding a box that made suspicious clanking noises and he appeared to have started the celebration already.

"Um..." Emily stood in her entryway. Her eyes were wide and her stance was not exactly welcoming.

"Wonderful! Didn't I tell you guys that she'd go along? Emily, that roast chicken smells delicious! Come on in, come on in."

Emily stood back and let them into her home and then set the table and spread the dinner she had planned for Severus. She hastily put her books away, judging that she and Severus would not be able to study tonight. Then she stood in an unobtrusive corner and watched Sirius host a party in her apartment. It was a study in the characters of the Marauders in general.

James ate and drank heartily, speaking about Lily and his plans for his life with her the whole while. Remus tried to look interested and ate a great deal but appeared quite tired despite drinking the least alcohol. It had just been the full moon, and perhaps he was feeling worn out from that. Peter ate and drank what was put in front of him but otherwise soaked in what the others were doing. He seemed to live more vicariously than for himself. The host of the party kept the glasses filled, made the most lewd comments, and ate the least dinner. At one point when he judged the party to be in full swing, he trapped Emily against the kitchen sink.

"So, Em, I've been telling them what a great figure you have and I was hoping you could provide some entertainment." He held up some sort of Muggle costume and looked at her longingly.

"Sirius, I couldn't! There's hardly anything to that."

"Come on, Em. James will hardly look at you and the other two don't matter. You will really be doing it for me and then maybe we can celebrate James and Lily's wedding..."

"Is that why you're here, Sirius? You're hoping to shame me with that...garment, and then bed me? I thought you respected me more than that."

Sirius realized he had made a mistake somewhere but didn't know how to recover from it. "What's the matter, Em? I thought you liked me."

"I'm starting to rethink that, Sirius."

Emily shoved her hip into his and managed to break free and moved toward the living room, with Sirius following her and the others following him.

A knock on the door saved her. "I don't care if it's He-who-must-not-be-named, himself, I'm kissing whoever it is on the lips for rescuing me from you," she called out.

This time it was Severus. She hollered, "Goodbye, boys!" snatched her cloak from her coat tree and joined him outside, pulling the door shut behind her. "You've saved me, and for that--" She reached up and made good on her promise. It was possibly a mistake, as their lips touching set their hearts pounding and caused them to forget everything around them.

Severus remembered himself first and pushed her away from him. "What was that about?"

"Stag party. Severus, let's find a quiet Italian bistro and eat an enormous plate of pasta and drink a large bottle of wine."

"I haven't any Muggle money."

"I have plenty for what I have in mind. One learns to be prepared when she dates Sirius Black. There's a place near here that seems pretty dark and they won't mind our clothes or who our sympathies run with."

They ate and Severus scowled as she told him about the impromptu gathering at her home. The scowl deepened when she described what Sirius asked her to do. "You have to break up with him, now. Can't you see that he has no respect for you?"

"I would break up with him, if I could stand to go back to my apartment."

They finished the pasta and the wine and went for a walk around the neighborhood. Eventually they found a park and sat on a bench. Severus hadn't asked whose bachelor party it was and Emily was hoping she had plied him with enough wine to get through the next bit of the conversation.

"Severus, you didn't ask. It's James Potter's bachelor party."

He asked quietly, "When...when is the wedding?"

"Tomorrow."

A wail was heard throughout the neighborhood that set dogs barking as Severus tried to process the information. Emily held his hand, pressing it tightly and looking at him as kindly as she could.

He half stood up. "I have to go. There's something I must do."

Emily was still holding his hand and squeezed it yet tighter. "Severus, if I have to put you under the Imperius Curse you are not leaving my side tonight. I won't let you join the Death Eaters in a fit of passionate rage."

"I love her so much."

"I know, but don't sell your soul because you are grieving now."

"I have to do _some_thing."

"Let me comfort you, Severus." She held out her hands and he allowed himself to be pulled into her arms, to feel the comfort she exuded to him, to feel how soft she was, and finally to feel the current that traveled between them.

He raised his face and looked into her eyes. "Emily, what are you doing to me?"

"I'm just trying to comfort you, Severus. No potions, no spells, not that much wine. I don't want to cloud your judgment. I promise that I will impair you if you try to leave my side, but other than that you may do what you like."

What he would like to do, with the feelings running through him at the touch of her body, was kiss her as she had kissed him at her door. He traced her lower lip with his thumb and saw something in her eyes he thought he would never see directed at him. He kissed her, feeling the most exquisite sensations of his life running through her lips and all through himself.

"Emily," he whispered, "is this what it's supposed to be like?"

"I couldn't say," she answered. "I've never experienced anything like this."

"Maybe we should stop."

Her eyes begged him not to stop. He lowered his lips to hers again. The exquisite feelings continued and he found a new sensation was taking hold of him.

Emily was melting. She didn't know any more where she stopped and Severus began. She did know that what Sirius did with her didn't deserve to be called kissing. "Severus," she whispered.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Just... you... Severus. Just you."

He stopped kissing her then. He needed to think. "You would hold me to the agreement you suggested, wouldn't you?"

"You are the one who said my virginity was worth even more than that."

"Yes, I did. Emily, are you hoping to seduce me?"

"The offer and the way you make me feel are two separate issues, even if they intersect. I want this, Severus, but I won't coerce you with anything but what we feel."

"I don't have feelings for you Emily. You know whom I love." He looked carefully at her.

"You may not love me, Severus, but you do have feelings for me." She pressed herself into him. "I know you feel this. I know you want this."

In answer he kissed her again. It was a mistake, he told himself. She was trembling now even as she was burning him.

He released her and stood up. She looked up at him, startled. "Emily, whatever else I may or may not do with you, I'm not going to tumble you on this park bench. Let's go to your apartment and see what the gentlemen there have done." He lifted her to her feet and steadied her. "You're trembling. What have I done to you?" He put his arm around her and guided her back to her street.

Her flat was dark when they crossed the threshold so Emily drew her wand. "_Lumos!_" Remus had curled up on the sofa. James and Sirius had passed out, arms around each other, leaning against the same sofa, and Peter was in a corner, somewhere between unconsciousness and awareness, humming to himself. Emily and Severus passed into the other rooms to find that the dinner had been cleared away and the kitchen was clean.

"It must have been Remus."

They walked back into the sitting room. Severus stopped to look at James and Sirius. "Why him and not me?" he asked.

"Come," said Emily, tugging him toward her bedroom.

"Emily," he responded as he followed her. "I can't promise you..." She kissed him and pulled him through the door. Emily stopped kissing him long enough to take her wand and charm the door to prevent unwanted visitors.

"The only promise required of you tonight is that you never join the Death Eaters." She removed her robe to show her trim blouse and skirt.

"Is that what you look like under your robes?" asked Severus. "Black has a pretty accurate imagination."

She kissed him again and he was lost in the sensations he had felt on the park bench. He hardly noticed his own robe falling to his feet, nor her fingers working the buttons on his shirt. Were those his hands tugging at her blouse? And touching her, as he had only dreamed of doing since a far away November night at Hogwarts? Their clothing fell to the floor as they made their way to the bed. He was conscious of not wanting to hurt her, so he tried to be gentle, caressing her and kissing her for as long as they could stand it, until they both gave in to the rush of emotion that was driving them.


	12. Breaking Up

_Disclaimer: All JKR's, except for my OC._

Some time during the morning Emily and Severus became aware of a tapping at the bedroom door and a voice saying, "Em? Is everything all right?"

"You'd better answer," whispered Severus.

"Emily wrapped a blanket around herself, waddled to where her wand was on the floor, and then the rest of the way over to the door. After canceling the charm, she opened the door wide enough for her face to show in the crack and said, "What is it Sirius?"

"I thought I heard voices."

"How much alcohol did you drink last night?"

"Good point." He was bouncing on the balls of his feet and Emily had not had enough sleep to look at him without dizziness. "Do you have any Restorative Potion? James needs to pull himself together for his bride, and Peter could use it, too, not to mention Yours Truly."

"First cupboard in the kitchen, it's well labeled. There should be enough for everyone."

"And, I hate to ask, but can we use your shower?"

"Yes, and the spare bedroom if you need to. Knock yourselves out." Emily was feeling magnanimous.

"Thanks, Em." He looked at her tousled hair, at the shine in her eyes, and at her red and swollen lips. He caught a glimpse of her shoulders above the blanket. "You know, you're ravishingly beautiful in the morning. It's something I wouldn't mind seeing every day."

"Erm, oh. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, I guess not. Oh, when will you be ready to go to the wedding?"

She blushed. This was neither the position nor the attire she would have chosen for this conversation. "I'm sorry Sirius, but I won't be going to the wedding."

"Not going? You were supposed to be my date! I'm the best man, I need a date!"

"I'm sorry and I know it was short notice but, well, something came up and I just can't go today."

"What happened?"

"If you must know, a friend received some horrible news last night and they really need me to be with them all day today."

"Gee, sorry, is it someone I know?"

"Not really."

"Well, OK, then. I guess I'll come by later, Emily." He brushed his lips over hers, eliciting zero response, and went toward the kitchen.

Emily shut and sealed the door behind her, adding a silencing charm. Severus opened his arms to her and she got back into the bed with him.

"Masterfully done. Do you really intend to spend the entire day with me?"

"As much as you are willing."

"Are you well, this morning?"

"Yes."

"I worried that I might hurt you."

"You were so careful of me and I was so carried away by passion that I hardly noticed."

He squeezed her tightly. "So it was enjoyable?"

"From the first kiss to the last sigh." She looked at him in some concern. "Did I please you?"

"Oh, Emily, I never realized. There's just one problem." He smiled at the worry in her face. "I want more."

In response, Emily rolled on top of him and kissed him. They found a way to pass the time until the others left the apartment to go to the wedding. After that they fixed themselves breakfast, put the apartment to rights, and even spent some time working on their studying. They never strayed long from the bedroom, however. As evening drew near, Severus kissed Emily and bid her farewell.

"Will you be all right, Severus?"

"Yes, Emily. I think I've seen that even if my heart is broken I can still enjoy life. I won't join the Death Eaters."

"I'm going to break up with Sirius when he comes tonight."

"Will you be able to do that?"

"Even if I hadn't determined to do so on the basis of his entertainment plans last night, this morning he kissed me and it was like nothing at all. If we really loved each other we would feel _something_, wouldn't we?"

"I really couldn't say."

As if to answer a cue, there was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of Sirius Black. Emily and Severus clasped hands one last time before she opened the door. One gentleman caller left as the other entered her home.

"Emily!" said Sirius as he came into her flat. He leaned down to kiss her but she ducked her head and walked to the door.

"Why don't we sit on my front step?" Emily asked. She sat down and waited for him to join her. He sat down next to her, crowding close. She edged away from him and he moved with her. She gave up, not wanting to be crushed against the railing.

Emily searched for something to say. "So how was the wedding? I bet Lily was beautiful."

"Of course. The bride was beautiful, and the bridegroom was besotted. The matron of honor was sneering as only Petunia Dursley can do, and the best man came away wishing for his own girl. Em, I was very tempted to try marriage myself. If you had been there, I don't know what I would have done. As it is, I have some hopes for this evening."

Emily had been quietly forming the words in her mind all the time he had been speaking. There was nothing to do but just say it. "Sirius, we need to break up."

"Anyway, Em, I was thinking that if we have nothing better on our plates we could even get... Emily, did you just say you want to break up?"

"Actually, we sort of broke up last night, although you may not have realized it."

"When?"

"When you acted as if I was just a body to you, and then," she whispered, "when I had someone in my room all night last night and all day today."

"You? With someone else? I did hear voices." He looked more puzzled and surprised than angry or jealous.

"Yes." Emily blushed at what he must have heard.

"You said you had to spend the day with someone who had received some bad news."

"He did."

"So you kept him in your bedroom for a night and a day to comfort him?"

"There was more to it than that."

"Who was it?"

"I'm not telling you."

Sirius made a guttural sound low in his throat. "How long have you been shagging him behind my back?"

"When have you not been shagging the whole world behind mine?" Emily responded shrilly. Her shoulders sagged and her voice lowered. "Anyway, it's the only time in my life that I've done that. Ever."

"Your first?" He looked at her appraisingly. "Why him and not me?"

"Your kisses are nice and all, but his made me feel as though I had to be with him, and he was so gentle and considerate of what I was feeling. I wasn't just a body to him."

Sirius wasn't really listening.

"Do you love him?"

"It's complicated."

For the first time, Sirius got angry. "It's not that complicated. I've spent almost three years trying to woo you, and I thought we loved each other and now I find that you gave yourself to someone else when I wasn't more than a few yards away. Did you ever love me and do you love him?"

"No and I think I might," Emily whispered with her face in her hands.

"Do you have a future with him?"

"I think we'll have a sort of future, I'm not sure what."

"You know I have been dating a good many girls, although I haven't shagged near as many of them as you might think. Emily Smith, you are the only one I wished I could change for. I've often thought that in a few years, when things settle down, I might have wanted to marry you. Perhaps even to have the kids that would overjoy my mother, just so I could raise them to be blood traitors and break her heart all over again. If this other guy doesn't want a future with you, I'd still like to think about it, maybe."

"I'm sorry Sirius, but after last night it's impossible. I know now, without a doubt, that you and I don't have anything between us."

"You are absolutely sure?"

"I can't see you any more. I'm sorry."

"Well, that seems to be the end of it, then." He got up and walked down the street before Apparating.

"You can come out, now," Emily said to the odd shaped shadow between two houses across the street.

Severus came across. "That was a touching scene."

"Please don't mock. He's never sweeter than when I'm telling him off." She looked up at him. "Old habits die hard?"

"I've always felt like you needed protecting around him. You actually let him down pretty gently, Emily. I hope he knows you mean it."

"The first crack is there. Now I just need to keep a wedge in."

He sat next to her. She closed her eyes and drank in his nearness.

"Did you mean what you said?"

She opened her eyes. "About what?"

"Do you really think you might," he couldn't say the word and searched for another one, "care for me?"

"It's not your problem. I know the score."

"I'm sorry, Emily. If I didn't know where it would end, I would put my arm around you."

"Would it be so bad?" She leaned over her legs and stared at her shoes.

"You know I can't see a future for us. Not one that would be fair to you. It's much better not to prolong it."

She bit the inside of her lip until she tasted blood and nodded. "I understand."

"I'm sorry, Emily. I would hex anyone who made you cry and I'm afraid it's me tonight."

She giggled sadly. "You think too much with your wand."

He chuckled. "I wish I could love you."

"Why?"

"Because of all the girls I know I think you're the nicest."

They watched a large black dog walk past. Emily could have sworn it gave them an angry look before sniffing at her dustbin and moving on.

"Are, um, are we on for dinner next week?" Emily tried to add a brighter note to her tone of voice.

"I don't know. It's against my better judgment."

"Please, Severus, give me that at least. I'm going to be pretty isolated for a while."

"If it comes to it so am I, thanks to your demands. I'll see you next week then."

For the second time a gentleman stepped away from her front door and Apparated into the night. Emily sighed at the moon for a few minutes and then went inside. She puttered around, straightening stray dishes and cushions, and then prepared for bed.

As she lay down on her pillow, she remembered the last time she had done so, just a few hours earlier, with Severus's head following her and his lips kissing hers. She recalled the feel of his skin as she ran her fingertips up his arms to clasp around his neck. She turned her head to see the imprint of his head still upon the other pillow.

She told herself that if she had any brains at all she would change the sheets and plump the pillows up. She would take a good cleansing bath, and perhaps fix herself a drink. Instead she let the tears run down her face as she wished with all her heart that Lily Evans Potter had never been born.

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews, debjunk, allycat1186, and excessivelyperky! A special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	13. Repercussions

_Disclaimer: JKR's world. I just brought an OC or two and came to play._

Three weeks later, Severus Snape wasn't sleeping well. It seemed as though there were something missing whenever he retired at night and he refused to believe it was Emily. When he managed to get to sleep he woke himself up by looking for her in his bed. He finally decided he would have to take action to rectify the situation.

He was a wizard after all, and Emily was a witch. One simple, painless spell would take care of the problem and they could go back to the way things were. He hated to take such a drastic measure, but he needed his sleep, and he wanted to go back to the easy companionship of only a month ago. Their weekly dinners had been fine, but he wanted to be able to look across the table at her without thinking about what she looked like under her robe.

By that time Emily Smith wasn't sleeping very well, either. As a Healer-in-training she should have foreseen the effects of certain actions, but in her life she had not accounted for them. She realized she needed to be sure of the situation before her next dinner with Severus and found a moment when the hospital was quiet to ask a favor of another Healer-in-training.

When it was over, Emily found herself sitting on the side of an exam table, trembling, next to Lily Potter, who was hugging and congratulating her.

"I know James will get such a kick out of this. Fancy Sirius being a father before him!"

"Um, Lily? Sirius isn't the father of this baby."

"But you said it would have been the night before our wedding and that day. If it wasn't Sirius, it couldn't have been--" A look of dismay started to come over Lily's face.

"Oh, no, NO! Lily, it wasn't any of them. For the short time when I was in the room, James couldn't stop talking about you, how happy you were making him, and his plans for your life together. And Remus was exhausted from the full moon that week and Peter...does he actually do anything or does he just watch?"

"So who was it, and how did you manage it with that lot in your apartment?"

"I'd rather not say until I can talk to him about this. We had gone for dinner and got back after they were all sleeping it off."

"Are you happy?"

"I have to get used to the idea, but at the same time, there's a touch of delight mixed in. Now that it's happened, I can't imagine not being pregnant. Please, Lily, don't say anything to anyone about this. Sirius doesn't have a right to be jealous, but I don't want to go out of my way to hurt him, either."

They cleaned up the exam room and gathered their things together. Lily grabbed Emily's hand. "Has Sirius been unkind to you?"

Emily thought for a moment because she didn't want to cause a problem. "No. The only time I ever did anything like that with a man was that one day that this happened," she put her hand on her tummy, "so he never affected me like that. I could always kind of see that Sirius will always be shallow with girls. I gather he didn't get much out of living with his family and maybe that's why he doesn't want to have one of his own."

Seeing Lily's frown, she hastened to add, "He's tremendously loyal to his friends, especially James and now you. I just don't think he wants what you two have."

Their shift was ending so they walked toward the employee entrance. Lily saw someone waiting there for Emily and did a calculation.

"Emily, it's Severus!" Emily looked distressed and Lily knew she was right. Lily ran up to Severus and gave him a big hug, leaving him looking dumbfounded. "Oh, Severus, I'm so happy for you! I can't tell you how happy!" She kissed him on the cheek and all but danced out the door, where she saw her husband waiting for her.

Emily made her way to Severus as he watched after the Potters. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Hmm?" He turned and saw Emily and then frowned slightly. "Oh. I thought we should get an early start this evening. There was something I want to talk about and I thought I could walk you home."

"That sounds fine," said Emily. There was something she needed to tell him, too.

As they walked, Emily realized they were making their way to the park where they had sat several weeks before.

"Emily, I think we should _Obliviate_ ourselves. I don't think it's wise to remember the night we spent together."

This was the last thing Emily expected. "Why would you suggest such a thing?"

"It doesn't seem healthy to keep thinking of it."

"Does it really trouble you so much?" Emily thought he had different feelings about what they were doing at the time.

"You cannot imagine, Emily." His eyes were guarded and she couldn't tell exactly what he meant.

Her lips started to quiver. "If you really feel you need to forget, I still hold you to our pact, Severus, but you should do as you see fit."

"So you're willing?"

She shook her head. "No, I cannot. At least I don't want to. I want to remember where the baby came from."

"The _what_?" Emily suddenly realized she hadn't told him yet. She shook her head again.

"I'm sorry, I'm out of order. I just had it confirmed this afternoon." She looked right into his eyes. "Severus, I'm going to have your baby. I'm pregnant."

Severus stared at her a long minute. Then he sat her down on a park bench and looked after her comfort before sitting next to her. "Are you all right? Are you healthy?"

"As far as we can tell this early, I am."

"Have you made any plans?"

"Nothing firm, but I'm sure the baby and I will be fine. I'm sorry for this; it wasn't part of our arrangement. I should have thought of it and prepared."

"Emily, I'm not mad or upset or anything, it's just that I don't--"

"I know, Severus."

"And I can't--"

"I know that, too." Emily kept her voice quiet and calm. "I don't want you to feel as though you owe me anything or need to do anything. I just wanted you to know about it.

"You would go on without me, then, even let me _Obliviate_ myself?"

She nodded, but wouldn't look him in the eye. He stared at the birds pestering the women with bags of feed, and the couples walking their dogs. He avoided looking at the playground where children were laughing and shrieking with delight.

His own childhood wasn't that easy. His father had died in what was tactfully referred to as an "industrial accident" so that Mother could collect the widow's pension, but the truth was that he had shown up at work drunk one day and gotten himself caught in some machinery. The Snape marriage had not been a happy one.

Severus realized that he had a sudden rush feelings for this child and didn't want him or her to grow up in the sort of home he had known, with the violent arguments and occasional beatings. Of course, both of his parents were very strong willed people with a tendency to lash out. Emily was so calm and soothing. There could be no thought of such a life in whatever home she lived. Moreover, he wanted his child to have both parents and the peaceful family life he had not known. Emily would be a wonderful mother—and wife.

He finally spoke. "No, we cannot forget, under the circumstances. Emily, there's only one choice left. We have to get married."

"Do you really want to?" She wondered if pregnant lightheadedness was causing her to misunderstand what he was saying.

"No, but I haven't properly slept in three weeks for lack of you in my bed. I don't know why one night should undo the conditioning of nineteen and a half years, but there it is. If I can't forget you, then I need you with me every night. I don't love you, Emily, you know that, but I feel the deepest affection for you. And if there's a baby, I want to be a real father to him or her."

He looked at the streets of houses and cars around the park. "This has got to be the worst marriage proposal ever. Emily, please marry me. I can't promise to be the happiest of men, or make you the happiest of women, but I think we can be happy enough."

Emily smiled and looked at Severus. He was so forthright and earnest and dear. She looked at his face and wondered what their baby would look like. She looked into her own heart and discovered that she wanted to be married to this man more than anything, at any cost.

"I'll do it. When should we plan it?"

"Haven't you been listening? I can't sleep! How about tonight?"

"That might be difficult to line up, with a license and everything else we need."

"Your mother knows people. Let's go to her."

Emily knew a sudden fear. "Severus, what about your mother? Will she approve?"

"She won't look any further than your grandparents and she'll be delighted with them."

Emily looked at her new fiancé and asked, "What kind of marriage is this going to be?"

He bent down and said, "This kind," before kissing her longingly. He lifted his head back up. "This is much better than forgetting."

He stood up, pulling her with him. After the recent conversation and his kisses, she was a bit dizzy. She stumbled. "I'm sorry," he said, "I need to be more careful of you. Where is your mother right now?"

"At the hospital."

"Does she know about the baby?"

Emily shook her head. "I asked a fellow trainee to do the exam. It's a fairly simple one."

"It was Lily." His face took on a hard look.

"Yes."

"That's what caused her to embrace me like that and say that she was happy for me."

"She assumed the father was Sirius and I had to tell her it wasn't him. I didn't tell her it was you but she guessed when she saw you standing there. For what it's worth, she hugged me, too."

"She'll tell everyone."

"I begged her not to."

"It's no matter. Everyone will know soon enough." He put his arm around her to steady her and led her back to the hospital.

_A/N: Thank you so much to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, excessivelyperky and babington. It's always fun to see how my impressions of the characters compare to other people's! A big thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy, who works tirelessly!_


	14. The Wedding

_Disclaimer: A couple of OCs are mine but it's otherwise all JKR's world and people. Some M-rated elements are at the end._

A week after deciding to marry Emily, Severus Snape had cause to reflect that Margo Smith was perhaps the most formidable woman he had ever met. He and Emily had gone to her at the hospital that night and told her about the baby and that they planned to marry. She had not gotten angry or upset but had asked a few pertinent questions of her daughter. When Severus had said he wanted to marry Emily within the next day if possible, she told him in no uncertain terms that he would have to wait a full week. After that she began her plans by inviting his mother to tea.

As it happened, Margo McMillan Smith and Eileen Prince Snape had known each other at Hogwarts. They had been in the same year and had similar career paths, as Margo became a Healer and Eileen a midwife, so they took the same NEWT courses. They reunited as long lost sisters and spent several hours reminiscing about school days while planning the framework of their children's lives. All attempts to curtail them were met by the sternest of motherly stares.

As Severus had watched with a mixture of admiration and fear, Margo had strong-armed caterers, musicians and event workers into creating a paradise of sorts in the garden of her terraced house. Emily had meekly submitted to dress fittings and lunches and discussing things like color schemes. Finally, Margo had filled her garden with guests, by inviting all of his and Emily's class at Hogwarts and then all of her own Hogwart's class. There were also notable Healers and St. Mungo's staff present.

And so it was, he thought ruefully, that the entire Marauder group was at his wedding. The bright spot of that circumstance was that Lily looked lovely in green dress robes. He looked over the assembled crowd again and pondered the strength of will of the woman who was about to be his mother-in-law. Even he had undergone some amount of transformation in her schemes, wearing brand new dress robes, and submitting to this enormous party to celebrate a love he didn't feel. The consequences of submitting to her were not all bad, however. For the first time in his life he was wearing something that had been tailored just for him.

Margo Smith was definitely the most formidable woman he had ever known, with the possible exception of the woman that the guests were now standing to see. It was hard to compare the events of this last week to those of the night that Emily had threatened him with an Unforgivable Curse less than an hour before pulling him into her bedroom. He was grateful that in both cases the lady in question was acting in the best interests of those involved. Had those two been Death Eaters even the Dark Lord would surely have reason to fear.

A hush came over everyone as Emily came into view. Severus beheld the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, walking toward him. The dress was ivory satin. Her curves were pushed upward by the snug bodice and just visible above the scooped neckline that was edged in lace. Her skirt was full, giving an impression of her slimness, and the puffed sleeves gave an impression of innocence. She was not wearing a veil, but the hairdresser had woven miniature roses and baby's breath into her hair. Her face might not have the same lively beauty as another he could mention, but today she was radiant.

He glanced at the floral arrangement she held. He had watched that morning as his mother had put it together from flowers he had gathered. There were none to signify true love, but there were many to show his affection, hope, kindness and a promise to be faithful. Eileen had mixed and arranged the flowers with the delicate precision of a Potions Mistress and the resulting bouquet smelled heavenly and looked perfect in Emily's hands.

As Emily drew near to him, Severus chanced a last glance at Lily. For today, he decided, the bride was more beautiful. Lily might be pretty and happy upon the arm of her husband, but Emily had that glow about her. Severus somehow knew that she glowed for him and he smiled even as he looked intently upon her, wanting to capture every detail. He offered her his arm as she drew near, per the instructions given him yesterday evening, and was rewarded by a sweet smile that only he and perhaps the Officiator could see.

Severus and his bride answered the questions the Officiator asked and exchanged glances. For just a moment he saw the bold little girl who pushed her way into studying with him early in first year. He could recall many instances of their friendship since then, of her companionship and many little kindnesses toward him.

He remembered the times Emily consoled him when Lily wouldn't speak to him and the ways she had always encouraged him and made him feel important. He realized how much he would miss that if they had drifted apart, as they eventually would have done, and understood how marrying her was the most natural option under the circumstances. He managed a wider smile at that thought and if possible Emily glowed even brighter under that smile.

Suddenly it was over and the Officiator was introducing them as man and wife. With her hand still within his arm, Severus led Emily to the spot designated for greeting the guests. The next few minutes were a flurry of handshakes, hugs, and kisses. Finally all of the people went to sit down or take some refreshments and he and Emily were momentarily alone.

"Can we leave, yet?" he whispered into her ear. Part of him wanted to get away from this party but most of him wanted to be alone with his new wife.

She smiled. "No, we're supposed to start the dancing and in a while there's the cake to cut."

He realized he had never danced with Emily. The one time they had stood together at the Yule Ball, she had spotted his chance to dance with Lily for him and he had gone to do so. After the musicians began playing he took Emily into his arms and they danced for the first time ever.

"Why have we never done this before?" he asked.

"I don't know. It does seem to be successful, though."

He tightened his hold on her and continued to gaze into her face. All too soon the song was over and some of the guests clamored to dance with the bride and groom. Severus's joy in dancing with Lily was only marred by seeing Emily in the arms of Black. On the other hand, she hadn't just married Black. _Let him look and wish_, Severus decided, _Emily's honeymoon will be with me_.

The party continued on in full swing. Enough of their classmates had accepted the invitation that there were no awkward moments with those Severus and Emily didn't particularly like. For once the Marauders were perfectly well behaved. They seemed generally more solemn than during school days. Perhaps their work with the Order of the Phoenix gave an outlet to the high spirits that previously had so often resulted in some injury to Severus. Few members of Severus's own house came, although some did as this was a true event under the rules that pure-blood families followed.

Seeing that her daughter's energy was flagging and ever mindful of her grandchild somewhere under all of the yards of satin and tulle, Margo Smith decided to speed up the schedule a bit. She summoned Severus and Emily to the wedding cake. Severus's hand was firm over Emily's trembling one as they cut it and fed each other a taste.

They had been able to ignore the feelings that touching each other had given them all day, even managing to kiss somewhat chastely when called upon to do so. Now the sensation of lips and tongues on fingers threatened to be their undoing. Their glances became heated, and Severus found that his hand was now attached to Emily's waist as if by a Sticking Charm. As soon as they finished and the servers took over to serve the cake to the guests, Margo kissed them both goodbye.

"Go say goodbye to Eileen and then go on," she told them. "Emily looks too beautiful today to have it marred by looking tired."

Severus agreed. Finally the formidable one was moving events in a direction he desired. He led Emily to his mother and they said their farewells. Eileen kissed them and waved them off with a smile. She was chatting with people she hadn't seen in twenty years and was having the time of her life.

* * *

They had arranged to spend their honeymoon in a small hotel on the outskirts of a resort town. They arrived in the room and stared at each other somewhat awkwardly. They leaned and in and kissed each other, but it fell a bit flat.

"Do you suppose it would be easier if we had drunken Marauders in the next room?" asked Emily.

They shared the laugh and it seemed a bit more normal. He kissed her again and the current traveled through them as before. He leaned back and ran his hands over her shoulders and arms. She shivered at his touch.

"You are so beautiful in your wedding dress," Severus said.

"Thank you," she said shyly.

"I couldn't believe you were there to marry me, you looked so wonderful."

"I wanted to look good for you, and you look very handsome, yourself."

They sat on the bed. He kissed her some more and leaned her back into the pillows.

"Ouch!" said Emily, sitting back up. "This dress fit perfectly at the beginning of the week but it's too tight, now. Could you help me out of it? Our mothers fastened me into it and then giggled together over their accomplishment. I think there was spell work involved."

"Of course."

"Have you noticed how close they have gotten? I never realized they'd known each other in school. It's like they're long lost sisters."

Severus brushed his fingertips along the low neckline of her dress, and his lips followed. Emily arched her back and then sighed as he looked up. "We're not cousins," he said, looking into her eyes intently.

"No, we're not," she said as if mesmerized.

He turned her and unfastened the hooks. When he got to the last one, he pushed the dress off of her shoulders and turned her back to face him. He saw places where the dress had been so tight that it had bitten into her skin. He bent down to kiss those spots. "This must have hurt."

Emily shivered at his touch. "It was my wedding dress, and I wanted you to have a beautiful bride."

"You are a beautiful bride." He undressed Emily completely and looked at her for the first time in a month. He noted a softening here and greater fullness there and realized with emotion that his child had caused the changes. "A very beautiful bride."

She had not been motionless under his gaze. She had undone his dress robe, one handed, and was now tugging at his shirt collar. He stood and finished undressing himself, setting their clothing aside. He turned back toward the bed and her arms were held out to him. They were kissing before he sat down and well occupied in caressing each other by the time their heads hit the pillows. They found each other's touch to be as tantalizing as ever when they came together with youthful abandon.

_A/N: thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy and reviewers debjunk, allycat1186, and excessivelyperky!_


	15. Further Repercussions

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and people; my OC._

After returning from their honeymoon, Severus and Emily went right back to work. Every morning Severus saw Emily to the employee entrance at St. Mungo's and Apparated to the dungeon of the Potions Master with whom he was studying. He told himself that part of the attraction of doing this was the possibility of a glimpse of a certain red haired trainee.

Their favorite time of day was after dinner when they spread their books out on the kitchen table and studied together as they had at school and during their weekly dinners. There was a difference in that they often looked at each other, held each other's hands, and sometimes they took long breaks so that they could kiss or even forget their studies entirely.

During the weeks that Emily worked other shifts, Severus still found a way to walk her to work most days. The juggled the meals they ate together and still found ways to spend time together. Emily often came home more tired after those shifts, as Death Eater attacks tended to happen more often at night. Her favorite moment on such nights and early mornings was when she went to the employee entrance and saw her husband waiting for her.

The mothers kept out of the newlyweds' way as much as possible. They both insisted on examining Emily thoroughly and discussed their thoughts on the pregnancy and on the delivery of the baby. They gave many directions to the expectant mother, and frightened her half to death with their admonitions. Severus and Emily suspected that their mothers were communicating behind their backs, too, planning a future for their grandchild.

News of the Snape/Smith wedding got around the Wizarding world and brought a few interesting reactions among friends and acquaintances. Immediately after their honeymoon they read through many letters and notes sent by friends and acquaintances, including those who had been guests. Emily noticed that Severus took the one from Lily Potter and put it in the drawer of his night stand. Severus suspected that the one Emily read and turned to ash with a flick of her wand might have been from Sirius Black.

One night a few months after their marriage, Emily came home late and heard voices in the sitting room. Severus was speaking to someone and if she knew the tone of his voice at all, her husband wasn't completely happy. She quietly walked through the entry and stood in the doorway.

"Ah, and this must be the lady of the house." She recognized a former Slytherin Prefect.

"Emily, this is Lucius Malfoy. He was one of my Prefects when we first went to Hogwarts."

Emily nodded her head and held out her hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Malfoy."

"Please, my dear, we're practically family. Call me Lucius." He pulled her into a hug that was a bit tight to be considered quite proper. He smelled of alcohol and cigars.

When Lucius finally released her, Severus pulled her to his side and whispered, "Your dinner is in the kitchen. Go eat."

"Gentlemen, if you will excuse me," Emily said, slipping into the kitchen.

Severus gestured to his guest to sit and offered him firewhiskey.

"Lucius, we've exchanged enough small talk and I would like to spend a quiet evening with my wife. What brings you here?"

"You've snatched a good one out from under the noses of everyone, Severus. Pure blood, quite shapely, and am I mistaken or have you started on the next generation?"

"I don't see that it's any of your business."

"It's the Dark Lord's business, Severus. It hasn't escaped his attention that for several years a promising young wizard, powerful in the dark arts, was meeting and working with a certain group at Hogwarts and then suddenly stopped coming to those meetings over the summer. It didn't escape his notice that you were expected to join the Death Eaters almost two years ago and then for one reason or another put it off until now it seems entirely unlikely."

"Perhaps I changed my mind."

"Can you really afford to do that? With all you now have to lose?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I am merely suggesting that you re-think your options."

"I fail to see how I could be of such interest to your master. Surely there are other wizards and witches who can be just as powerful as I."

"He wants you, and he will find a way to force your hand."

"I do not think I can, Lucius. I made an arrangement of sorts with my wife, and I think it is binding." Severus sounded tired. "Was there anything else?"

"Your past actions indicated a willingness and people interpreted those actions to be a commitment, Severus. Just remember. Think on it, but don't wait forever."

"Thank you, Lucius, I appreciate the warning."

The door opened and closed and Emily heard nothing else. Washing the dishes from their meal and putting them away, she went out to the sitting room and found him sitting on the couch, staring at the fire. Emily knelt down in front of him. "I should never have forced you to take that deal."

"Get off the floor, Emily," he said, pulling her onto the couch next to him. He was clearly thinking hard. "Fancy Black better after all, then?"

Her eyes grew wide until she realized he was teasing her.

"No, I fancy you much more than him."

"You regret being married to me, and the baby."

"Oh, no, this is just right." She looked into his face. It seemed blank, but she could see worry around the edges of his eyes. "Severus, I thought I was keeping you from danger. I never dreamed I would force you into worse danger. I release you from the pact, Severus."

"You cannot do that. I've done some reading on the sort of deal we made. It is binding for life, for both of our lives, Emily. Even if you die, I am still bound to it. I dare not even attempt it. It would be like breaking an Unbreakable Vow."

"There was no Bonder."

He pulled her into his lap and then put his hand over her tummy. "Unless this child within you is a squib, I think there actually was."

Emily suddenly saw it. She looked at Severus in surprise and dismay. He nodded.

"We felt the magic that ran between us that night. We made some sort of Unbreakable Vow."

She put her hands over her face. "Now they're threatening you if you don't join them. I've put you in grave danger. Why did I never think it through or research it? What a silly, schoolgirl stunt. Severus, I just didn't want you to go over to them. You are my best friend in the whole world and I wanted you safe."

"Emily, you were playing for the highest of stakes even if you didn't realize it. This is a life or death situation and we need to recognize it for what it is. My fear is that if they really want me so badly, they will not hesitate to kill you and force me to turn to them. Emily, I would have died anyway, and lost my soul in the bargain. I am better off for it, if you are not."

"Can't you explain it to them?"

"I told Lucius that there is an arrangement, but not the nature of it."

"What shall we do?"

"We have to be careful. There are certain spells for protecting homes..." He grabbed her head in his hands and kissed her fiercely. "And, Emily, you didn't force me to do anything. I was a more than willing participant."

Emily returned her husband's kisses and pressed against him. She made love to him then and there, hoping he would decide that their arrangement was not too costly. Once he understood what she was doing, he was again a willing participant.

_A/N: Thank you kind readers and reviewers. Also thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	16. A Closing Trap

_Disclaimer: JKRs people and world. I'm just playing around with them and a couple of OC's._

Healer-in-training Snape willed her nausea to subside and concentrated on the injured arm in front of her. When her shift was over she might throw up for what seemed like hours, until Severus found her and fixed her a potion. Alternatively, she might go home and sleep soundly until her next shift. It was always a hit or miss situation and never seemed to follow a pattern of what foods she'd eaten that day or what she had done during the day. The nausea of pregnancy came and went at will, frightening the new mother. Her own mother and mother-in-law both assured her that the baby was thriving, so Emily decided that she simply must bear it.

Auror Moody was sitting with her in this treatment area, and several other Aurors and Order of the Phoenix members were scattered throughout the ward. There were some Death Eaters in a different ward, although far fewer of them. From the sounds outside her curtain, Emily decided that as much celebrating was going on as healing.

"It was quite a battle," said Moody. Emily had found that letting her patients relive the experience while she tended their injuries sometimes helped them to deal with the emotional side of the trauma. "Of course, the Death Eaters got the worst of it for once, except maybe young Black out there."

Emily looked up. "What happened to him?"

"Cruciated by that cousin of his. Not too badly, though. She was distracted. Never saw anything like it. These two Death Eaters were against a high cement wall sending curses in every direction when suddenly Gideon Prewett hits them with _Rictusempera_ and Fabian hits the wall just over their shoulders with a Reductor Curse. The Death Eaters were screaming in horror and yet couldn't stop laughing as the wall fell on top of them and killed them. The sound of it would haunt dreams. Likely will." He stretched his arm out as Emily finished the healing charm. "Enjoy the job almost too much, those two Prewetts. Highly effective, though."

Emily finished with the veteran Auror and gave him some ointment to apply to his healed wounds to keep the skin supple. Based on the other scars he carried, she guessed that he had quite the collection of ointments that he didn't use. He thanked her and patted her hand before leaving her treatment area and shouting, "Hey, you lot! Best move along and not provide the Death Eaters with such an inviting target. Constant vigilance, after all!"

Emily didn't have any other patients to tend and peeked into a curtained area where Lily was tending Sirius. He seemed to be quite healed, as he was laughing with his caregiver and a cute blond girl that Emily recognized as the Hufflepuff with leaves in her hair. The blond would have graduated just last spring. She backed away from the curtain and prepared her area for the next shift.

"Emily." She turned and saw Sirius standing there. She went back to work, straightening bandages and potions.

"Emily, I'm sorry for that note I sent. It was uncalled for."

"You had strong feelings, I understand." Emily was taking deep breaths to fight the returning nausea. She just needed to finish cleaning up and then she could go home, where Severus would fix her that potion.

"Lily had just told me about your baby. I knew since the night you broke up with me that it was Snape. I snuck back saw that he had come to see you again. But his kid, it's a bit hard to swallow that you could have enough feelings for him to have his kid."

"I wasn't trying to hurt you, Sirius. I broke up with you because I needed to do what was right. I hadn't considered about a baby, it was just a bonus."

"A bonus that you were able to use to get Snape to marry you. It wouldn't have worked on me, you know."

Emily looked at Sirius, her eyes narrowed. "You don't understand any of this. Please leave it alone. That other girl seems devoted to you, Sirius. You should go be with her."

"She'll wait. Why don't you explain it to me?" Sirius crossed his arms and leaned against the examination table, looking coolly at Emily.

Emily couldn't take it any more. She reached the wastebasket just as her lunch came up. She didn't see her husband hurrying through the curtain. She only knew that seconds later strong arms were around her, supporting her and holding her hair out of her face. She smelled something reassuring and looked up.

"Severus," she breathed in relief.

His presence was calming as he helped her to the sink to wash out her mouth. "All better, now?"

"For now," she answered. Her side was pressed against him and he was giving her warmth and strength. She stood against him and drew comfort.

"Emily," he murmured, "is that the baby moving?" There was movement on the side of her tummy that was against him

"Yes," she said softly, smiling up at him.

He moved his hand to touch the place where he noticed the soft tapping and drew her close with his other arm. He kissed her hair and enjoyed the moment. Looking up he saw that his wife's former boyfriend was watching them intently.

"Is there a valid reason for you to be questioning my wife, Black, or are you just trying to get some sort of revenge upon her for the betrayal or abandonment or whatever it is you feel she did to you?"

"I'm just curious, Snape. Were you listening in the whole time?"

"All the better to help my wife when she became ill. It's possible to know too much, Black."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The men exchanged hostile stares while Emily started to feel ill again.

"Severus?" said Emily, "I really need to just get home."

Severus looked down at his wife's face. It was gray and there were tiny beads of sweat on her forehead. "Of course." He led her out of the exam area, keeping his eyes on Sirius Black until they were past the curtain.

* * *

Severus left his place of employment a little early on New Year's Eve to be met outside by Lucius Malfoy, who was backed up by Avery and Dolohov.

"Severus!"

"What can I do for you, Lucius? I am in something of a hurry."

"Your plans for the next hour or two are hereby canceled. I have orders."

"Oh?" Severus fingered his wand in his pocket.

"Yes, I am here to invite you to my family estate for an hour or two. It won't take long and then you may enjoy the rest of your holiday." The three men in front of Severus took a step closer, their wands drawn.

"Well then, I shall be happy to join you, under the circumstances," Severus answered. Dolohov grabbed his arm and Apparated.

When they arrived at Malfoy Manor, Lucius took Severus's arm and pulled him up the walk and into the house. "Ah, Narcissa, my love, look who I found in London. I thought I should bring him with me for some holiday cheer."

Narcissa Malfoy, whom Severus had last seen when her surname was Black, looked paler than he had ever seen her. There was just a hint of desperation in her eyes as she looked at her husband and his companions. Using a well modulated voice that showed generations of breeding, she said, "Lucius, dear, your other guest is in the library. He seems quite impatient."

"Well then, perhaps I should take Severus straight in, then. Could you offer something to these other gentlemen?"

"Certainly," said Narcissa in an agreeable tone of voice that didn't match her eyes.

"Come, Severus," said Lucius, leading him into a study he could only dream about. His fingers itched to touch the books on the shelves. The luxury of the carpet, the furnishings, the drapery gave a heady sensation of wealth.

"Young Mr. Snape," said a voice almost too high-pitched to be properly masculine, "come closer. I have wanted to meet you for quite some time."

Severus quelled his trepidation and sat where Lucius had put him, in a chair across the hearth from Lord Voldemort himself. It was hard to tell if the eyes were bloodshot or truly red, and the features didn't quite fit properly. The power of the man was undeniable.

Severus cleared his throat. "I didn't realize I could be so interesting to a man such as you."

"You have no idea what interests me, Mr. Snape. I am a man of great curiosity. For instance, I wonder why someone such as you, by all accounts powerful in the dark arts, well respected within a certain club I have encouraged at Hogwarts, angry at the crowd that would fight me, would suddenly drop his associations and marry. Quite a charming girl, I hear, with impeccable family connections, yet the wedding was something of a surprise. What, one wishes to know, could happen that would interrupt what would have been a very useful association between you and me?"

Severus found himself trapped within the gaze of the other while his thoughts and feelings were ransacked. He forced himself not to wince at the growing pain in his head.

"I see. An agreement, an Unbreakable Vow—how unfortunate, and a child." The man stared at Severus and pondered him. "An interesting set of circumstances under which to conceive a child. Young Snape will be as powerful as his or her father. Quite an addition to our family.

"Your wife is quite capable, herself. I wouldn't have expected one of her sort to be interested in making such a deal, and yet she did and has bound you in ways you don't realize yourself yet, the emotions you foster notwithstanding. Quite a formidable young lady. I remember her father, so unfortunate... her family has exemplary connections yet such regrettable ideas about me..."

The Dark Lord was silent for several minutes while Severus forced himself to return his stare and control his feelings.

"Yes, Mr. Snape, we are in a bit of a conundrum. I find much to admire in you and think our association would be quite felicitous for us both, and yet there is no way for you to join my group of helpers. I shall have to think about this." He turned his head toward the door. "Malfoy!"

He turned back and fixed Severus with his gaze. "You have several times chosen not to join me, Mr. Snape. When I make the offer again, there will be no other option."

"I understand," answered Severus.

"You called, Master?" asked Lucius from the door.

"Yes, I am done with Mr. Snape, for the time being. Please return him to his home."

* * *

"Emily, open up!" There was a terrible pounding on the door. She surfaced to consciousness and grabbed her bathrobe, which she put on over her nightgown. She glanced at Severus. He had needed a potion to ease the headache caused by Voldemort's Legilimency and it would keep him asleep for another few hours at least. She would have to deal with the fool alone.

"Emily! Em!" She went to the door and almost opened it when she pulled her hand back.

"Quiet down! What were you doing when we first met?"

"I was lying down on the footrest between bleachers at the Quidditch field."

She opened the door and let him into the hallway.

"What is it, Sirius? Pregnant women need their sleep, you know."

"Sorry." He glanced at her belly and quickly averted his eyes. "You need to know this. You should probably get away. Snape was seen going into Malfoy Manor tonight."

"What of it?" Emily yawned.

"Don't you see? He-who-must-not-be-named was there! Your husband is going to become a Death Eater for sure now."

"He's not going to become a Death Eater. He would die if he attempted the oath."

"How do you know that?" He crossed his arms and looked at her.

"It's far too involved and personal a story to tell you. As a matter of fact, I know exactly what my husband did this evening, whom he met and what happened. The situation is quite delicate right now and I would thank you not come barging in on us in the middle of the night when anyone could be watching outside—if you are truly concerned for my safety."

Sirius blanched. "I didn't think."

"Obviously, Sirius; please let it go. There are grave ramifications to your actions."

She eased him toward the door and back out into the night. Sealing the door and making sure the flat was still in good order for the night, Emily made her way back to bed.

"He's still too brash and impetuous." Severus had wakened after all.

"It's the night of the full moon all over again. And also once again, he's not the one in danger because of it."

"He thought you would run away with him. He was trying to be your hero and save you from me."

Emily smiled down at her husband. "He doesn't realize that you saved me from him."

Severus winced as the pain from his headache returned full force. "He's completely outside of the problem. Maybe he thinks being a Black will save him."

Emily got a washcloth rinsed in cool water and put it over Severus's head before sliding back into the bed. "It didn't save his brother. We do need to consider getting help, Severus."

"I'm not going to the Order of the Phoenix. That would be the surest way to get us all killed."

"What about Dumbledore? He told you to come to him in need."

"Eventually it may come to that, but I would rather not. I think we still have time." He didn't speak for a few minutes and then shifted closer to her. "Emily, is it all right if I rest my head, here?" He put his head in a place he found very comforting. "This is much better."

In response she put one arm around his shoulders and ran her other hand through his hair, gently rubbing his head. "Does this help?"

"Oh, yes."

_A/N: Thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy, and to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, and excessivelyperky. Thanks to all the nice people who stop by and bump up my traffic stats, too!_


	17. The Prophecy

_Disclaimer: All JKR's people, places and things. I just added an OC or two. Please note that a portion of this is almost directly lifted from The Order of the Phoenix_

It was late night and Severus Snape felt the warm sweetness of the woman beside him. He cursed himself under his breath. He had a wonderful wife, they both had good jobs that would lead to solid careers, and they had a baby on the way. Yet he was not entirely happy.

Today the mental house of cards he had built for himself fell crashing down. He should have anticipated this as yet another one of the inevitable days when he would only know the grief of what he could not have. His wife had been so gentle when she had told him that Lily was pregnant and then she had comforted him as only Emily could.

It wasn't fair, the life to which Severus condemned his wife. There were moments when he knew that she looked at him wistfully, wishing he could love her as he loved Lily. He pretended not to see, hoping it was better for her that way. There were some nights when she poured her heart out to him, thinking he was asleep, telling him how much she loved him and he tried to ignore that as well. He tried to make up for his shortcoming by being extra kind and affectionate with her but he knew he was still withholding the one thing she really wanted.

His baby was active again, the gentle taps of a few weeks ago having become stronger movements. He usually gloried in feeling them and would sometimes wake Emily with the passion they inspired in him. Tonight however, these movements mocked him, reminding him that another man would share this with Lily. He knew that he would hate that other child for being the proof of the greatest disappointment of his life.

Emily stretched and ran her hand down her husband's side. Severus caught his breath as she so easily caught his full attention. She leaned up and kissed him while her hands did something else to him. He couldn't stop himself from taking all she offered and he felt a tremendous guilt. He wasn't sure if it was because he had not remained true to his love for Lily or because he was thinking of someone other than Emily when she gave herself to him so freely.

* * *

Severus had an appointment to meet with the Headmaster to apply for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. He went to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade to meet with him. It would be good to get out of London. Blood status arguments were becoming more fierce than ever and even Eileen and Margo had at last found a point upon which they did not agree.

Dumbledore would know what to do about the pursuit from the Dark Lord, too. Severus and Emily just wanted to be able to live their lives and raise their baby. Severus wanted to continue his studies in deeper forms of magic and Emily wanted to become a full healer, but most of all they wanted their child to be safe.

Severus walked along the hallway wondering where he was supposed to meet Dumbledore. Suddenly an odd voice started pronouncing. He realized it was a prophecy. _"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES...BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES..."_ He backed away, feeling suddenly ill.

The innkeeper came up the stairs at that moment and saw him. "Hey, you! No lurking around like that."

Severus looked up. "I have an appointment..."

"Doesn't matter. Out! Out!"

Dumbledore's head came out of a room. "We did have an appointment, but Severus, there is something I must attend to here right now. We will speak another time."

Severus inclined his head. "As you wish, headmaster." There was something he desperately wanted to check on, anyway.

He went home and found Emily resting on the sofa in the sitting room, a damp cloth over her eyes. She had clearly been struggling with nausea again. He put his cloak away and then went into the kitchen and prepared the potion that eased her discomfort. She took it gratefully and he lifted her legs to sit underneath them.

"Thank you, Severus. I don't know why they call it morning sickness, nor why it's continued all along for me when usually it's just the first few months." She peeked out from under the cloth and saw that his face was tired and drawn. "There's dinner if you want it."

"I'm not hungry right now." He traced her knees where they peeked out from under her skirt. He didn't want to seem too interested but he had to know. "When did you say the Potters would have their baby?"

"Early to mid August," came out from under the cloth. "Why?"

"Oh, something I heard today." He sighed. "Dumbledore wasn't able to see me tonight, after all, but he said he'll be in touch." He allowed himself to relax and smile. Whoever had babies in late July would be susceptible to attack from the Dark Lord, but at least it wouldn't be Lily. His attention returned to Emily's knees. Really it was turning into a good evening.

He wanted to keep the conversation going. "Did you say you were going to visit with my mother today?"

He let her describe the details Eileen had given to Emily about the progress the baby was making. The knees under his hands were quite inviting. As Emily wound down her narrative, he found another subject had captured his attention.

"Emily?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you feeling better?" His voice was a husky whisper.

She pulled the cloth away and smiled invitingly. "Yes, much better, thank you. Are you asking for a reason?"

He slid his hands, and the skirt, up her legs. "I was feeling a sort of a hunger, if you weren't too unwell."

"Nauseous one minute, amorous the next," she said with a giggle, "that seems to be the way of pregnancy." She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Severus marveled yet again at the sense of raw energy that moved between them.

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you especially to reviewers allycat1186, babington, debjunk, and excessivelyperky, and to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	18. An Important Day

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and people, plus a couple of OC's I added._

_Note: That last chapter was pretty controversial based on the reviews I'm getting! If you hated it, you may like this one better._

Emily went to work one morning in mid-April completely out of sorts with the world and her body. She couldn't do the things she was used to being able to do, she didn't feel good, and the woman her husband loved sailed into the ward looking as beautiful as ever. Comparing herself to the other woman, Emily understood why Severus liked Lily better. It was really no contest. Most days it was just one of the less than perfect facts of Emily's life. Today self pity stung her eyes.

Emily sat down again and rubbed her hands. They had become so swollen and tingly the last couple of days. She knew that if she could see her ankles they would look the same. A headache was starting and she wanted her mother. She went to her mum's office and sat down. Healer Smith came in a few minutes later to see her daughter slumped in her desk chair. She was shivering and crying.

"Mama, I don't feel good."

"Shush, dear let me look at you." Margo looked her daughter over carefully and put her head outside the door, signaling a staff member. "We're going to put you into a room, dear, and see exactly what is going on, OK?"

* * *

Severus got home from work that evening to find his mother on a chair in the sitting room. She looked distressed and stood as soon as he came in.

"Severus, you must come."

"Where's Emily?"

His mother took him by the arm and walked him back to the door. "She was admitted at the hospital today. Margo sent for me at lunch time."

"Is she having the baby?"

"She is having complications. Her blood pressure rose to a level that is dangerous, and she has gone into labor. She and the baby are both in danger."

Severus started walking faster. "Mother?"

Eileen looked at the worry in her son's face. "I will let Margo explain everything to you."

They arrived at the hospital and made their way to the private room where Margo watched over her daughter. Eileen took Margo's place and Severus found himself in the hallway with his mother-in-law.

Margo explained the situation. "She was complaining of a bad headache this morning and then got so flushed that I knew that something was wrong. We're giving her fluids to help purge whatever impurities might be causing this and a potion that has slowed the progress of her labor and made the pain less intense. If we allow her to labor too fast, she could have a stroke and die, but if we slow it too much, the baby could die."

"Can I see her?"

"She's sleeping right now, but it's possible that she will know you are here."

Severus went into the room and looked at his wife. Emily looked feverish and fretful. The head of the bed had been raised and his mother sat near her, watching her carefully and occasionally touching her hands or face. "Can I touch her?" His mother nodded and he put his hand on her forehead and kissed it. He chanced touching her pregnant tummy and was rewarded by a good strong thump from the baby. He closed his eyes in gratitude.

A few minutes later, Severus stood in the hallway trying to pull his emotions together. It hurt him to see Emily suffering. Someone tapped his shoulder. For the first time in his life, he was not pleased to see Lily Potter.

"Oh, Severus, it's so awful! What will we do?"

Her use of the word "we" was a bit curious. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know why she's been acting this way toward me. She's always been so pleasant to me, but today it's like she hates me. She said I was never a very good friend."

Severus turned an impassive stare upon her. He spoke quietly and with a trace of irony. "Are you so blind to things like this, Lily? We could lose our baby, and I could lose her, and you are here in the bloom of pregnant health. The sight of you is a bit hard to take right now."

"Oh, I didn't realize." Was she really so focused on herself that she didn't think about how other people might see such things?

He continued, his manner getting grimmer. "I cannot imagine what she was saying to you, unless it's that she is very loyal to me and has never entirely understood the way you treated me during sixth and seventh years."

"Well, I expected you to become a Death Eater any minute." Had Lily always had this waspish edge?

"Emily took steps to ensure it would never happen." He said it as if it settled the matter, and found that somehow it did.

"Oh." She deflated a bit. "Well, my shift will be over, soon, and I will ask to be assigned different cases tomorrow."

"Or perhaps you can ponder how you might have better dealt with this situation and learn from it." Severus didn't know who was speaking to Lily this way. It could never be him.

She looked at him uncertainly, trying to understand the lesson in front of her. Finally she seemed to get it.

"I see what you mean. Thanks Sev—Severus."

He found that he had to be near Emily again, even if he had to watch her suffer. "I need to be with my wife. Maybe I'll see you later."

He went back in and saw that she hadn't moved. She was still far too pink and she looked uncomfortable. Her lips were moving as if she was saying something. "Emily," he whispered, sliding next to her on the bed, "please get better. If you don't I will lose everything that makes my life worth living." He gently slid his arm around her shoulders and put his other hand where he had felt the baby moving a few minutes earlier. "Emily, I love you."

She made what sounded like a contented sigh and settled into his arms. He alternated between watching her sleep and dozing himself. Every few minutes her whole lower body tightened with a labor pain that was followed by a spurt of incensed kicking from the baby who didn't appreciate the encroachment. As the night wore on, it appeared that the angry flush of her face was fading.

The first hint of dawn was sneaking through a window when Emily's eyes opened wide. "I need to... I don't know what to call it."

Eileen sat up and looked at Emily's face. "It sounds like she's ready to push. Margo, she's not as flushed and there's less swelling. I think she's better."

Emily's mother came to the side of the bed from the easy chair the mothers had traded all night. "Let me see how she's doing. Perhaps you should check her progress?"

The midwife determined that she was ready to deliver the baby while the Healer determined that it was safe to do so. Together they guided the laboring mother and told the husband how to assist. After a while Severus saw his mother holding his daughter. The Healer took the baby to clean up and check while the midwife finished tending to the new mother.

Severus couldn't kiss his wife enough. "Emily, I love you so much."

"I thought I was dreaming when you said that," she said, removing her eyes from the little face across the room long enough to look into his eyes.

"I was dreaming when I didn't say it." He kissed her again. "It's time for both of us to wake up."

Margo cleared her throat. She was holding a quill and official looking parchment. "So, Mum and Dad, what is the baby's name?"

Severus looked at Emily and she nodded. "Margo Eileen Snape," he told them, seeing the suddenly misty eyes of both the older women. "But I would like to call her Hope," he murmured to his wife. She nodded again.

The proud grandmothers gave the baby to the new mother and helped her start to feed her. Eileen and Margo then stepped outside to allow the new family a chance to become acquainted. Severus watched as for the first time Emily looked at her baby. A completely different expression came over her face than any he had seen in the eight and a half years he had known her. Her eyes softened and took on a look he couldn't place and a soft smile stole over her lips as she looked the baby over. Right before his eyes this young woman he had known since childhood entered motherhood.

"Would you have rather had a son, Severus?" Emily asked timidly.

"Fancy calling a boy 'Hope'," he scoffed.

"So a daughter is all right?"

"Look at her," he answered. The baby stopped nursing long enough to stare at them with indigo blue eyes. She had a full head of dark hair and a nose that looked suspiciously like her father's, just over a mouth that was shaped like Emily's. "She's perfect," Severus declared.

* * *

Lily came later that morning while Severus was home for a shower and change of clothes. She cooed over the baby and said, "I feel like I should apologize, Emily. I'm so sorry for my lack of professionalism yesterday." The baby fussed and Lily carried her from the bassinet to Emily on the bed. "Your little one is beautiful."

"Thank you Lily. I was a bit of a bitch to you, wasn't I? I'm sorry, too. I hope we can still work together." Emily shyly opened her nightgown and offered her breast to the baby. She'd done it a few times already but a new audience was disconcerting. The baby, not being troubled by such considerations, latched right on and started her meal.

"Severus set me straight on a few things." Lily smiled again at the baby, sighed and looked at her own tummy, whispering to herself, "Four more months."

She peeked outside the door and then came close to the bed. "Can you tell me something? How exactly did you keep Sev out of the Death Eaters? He didn't seem interested in anything I had to say about it."

Emily smiled faintly. She looked down at the little face against her breast, so concentrated on eating, and then straight up at the questioning green eyes in front of her. "We gave each other Hope."

_A/N: Thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy and also to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, babington, and excessivelyperky. Thank you all for reading._


	19. No Other Option

_Disclaimer: All JKR's world, my OC._

The young Snape family took a walk in the park in late June and was stunned to see an Auror standing on their doorstep when they returned home.

"Mr. Snape, we have some bad news," Auror Shacklebolt said in his deep voice. "Your mother was killed by Death Eaters, today." Severus looked toward the other man with the emptiest face Emily had ever seen. "We've gathered what information we can about what happened. It appears to be a break-in, although they clearly intended to harm your mother, too. We will contact you when the full report is ready and then we will meet with you at the ministry discuss our findings with you."

"I understand," said Severus with no emotion.

The Auror described the arrangements that would be made for her body and what would happen next. "Finally," Shacklebolt summed up, "We have sealed the house as securely as possible. If you need to get back in, let us know." He held out a card.

"Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt," responded Emily, taking the piece of paper. "We do appreciate what you have done."

"Is there anything else we can do for you? Anything you need?"

Emily said nothing but simply looked at her husband.

"Dumbledore. We need to speak with Dumbledore." His voice was barely audible.

"Emily finally saw something in her husband's eyes and nodded. "Can you help us arrange it? No one can know."

The Auror nodded and stepped around to an alley to disapparate.

When Emily went into the apartment, she found her husband carefully going through the entire flat. She realized he was checking for curses or spells that might have been used against them and stood quietly in the sitting room. The baby started to fuss and Emily realized she must be hungry. She sat in a chair and loosened her robes in order to nurse. About half way through the feeding Emily realized that Severus was casting new protective spells.

Emily was patting a sleeping baby on the back when Severus came into the sitting room and slumped down into the couch.

"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten dinner yet."

"I couldn't eat right now. This was a message, Emily. I should have done something sooner. They're coming for me next and if I don't..." he trailed off, looking defeated.

"Why don't I get something, anyway, just in case?" Emily persisted.

"If you insist."

"Can you hold Hope? She's just gone to sleep but she may sleep all night."

The child's father put his arms out mechanically, but when she was lowered into them, he tenderly pulled her close and held her head under his chin. The tension in his body lessened and he sat back on the couch.

Emily heard voices when she came out of the kitchen to put some simple food on the dinner table as well as some drinks. Peeking into the sitting room, she saw Albus Dumbledore brushing ashes from his robes.

"Ah Emily, I thought it best to come by Floo. The Death Eaters are not watching the network yet, and I didn't think your husband wanted me to be seen."

Emily signaled the men to come into the dining room. Albus Dumbledore sat at the table and looked at the small family in front of him. They were shocked by the evening's events and grief stricken, but they must be able to act quickly. There was no time at the moment for mourning or silence.

"I am guessing," he said, "that your story involves what Severus was doing on New Year's Eve, but please begin at the beginning."

Emily blushed but felt it was up to her to describe the offer she had made to Severus in the fall of their seventh year.

"Ah. That explains the one Occlumency lesson. That was quite a creative solution to the problem, Emily. Do you realize what happened?"

Severus spoke up. "Not at the time, but we have since learned that this pact appears to be as binding in its way as an Unbreakable Vow. As your Order has no doubt surmised, I have met the Dark Lord and he agreed on that point." He described the meeting he had with Voldemort.

Dumbledore sat forward. "May I see the child?"

Emily held Hope up in her lap. She woke up and gravely looked at the professor with her dark blue eyes. His own twinkled kindly over his glasses.

"She's a charming little girl. I haven't seen eyes quite that shade of blue since... it's eighty years, anyway." His eyes became misty for a bit and then he cleared his throat. "Has she already exhibited magic?"

"Yes. She rearranges the objects in her bassinet. She can barely lift herself up on her arms so I know she's using magic," said Emily. She suddenly leaned forward and looked straight at her former Headmaster. "He will want to kill her, won't he? Would he do that in order to try to break the vow?"

"He could, but if Voldemort has already remarked upon her magical potential, I think his interests run otherwise. The child of a wizard for whom he has high respect and a witch whose family tree is impeccable, a child born as a result of magic such as you invoked, would be irresistible to him. At any rate, he knows that killing the Bonder wouldn't break the vow."

"Am I supposed to trust my daughter's life to that?" asked Emily, shrilly.

"No, no, Emily. I have other thoughts." He looked at Severus. "We never did have our interview."

"I overheard a prophecy and then the innkeeper grabbed me and you know that I left."

"Yes, Aberforth can be a bit protective of some of his guests."

"I think the Death Eaters know that there was a prophecy and that I heard it."

"What exactly did you hear?"

Severus told him.

Dumbledore pondered a moment "That wasn't all. This can still work."

"What was the rest of it?" asked Emily.

"I am not going to tell you, now. Suffice it to say that it could be about any one of several children who might be born at that time." Dumbledore looked at them and pondered the recommendation he was about to make.

"I'm going to offer you a teaching position at Hogwarts."

"Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Severus looked hopeful.

"No, and for several reasons, the first of which is that terrible things happen to the professors in that position and your family has suffered enough for now. I also want to make it look as though I don't completely trust you. Finally, Horace has been after me to find him a replacement for years.

"You are the perfect candidate for Potions Master, Severus. You will come to Hogwarts and work with Professor Slughorn for the next year or two as his assistant. This will allow you to find out all you can from him about a student named Tom Riddle. Then Horace will retire and you will have the position.

"Meanwhile, and this is the hardest part, Severus, you will act as a spy. If this was a recruiting visit that was paid to your mother, then Voldemort has realized that you can help his cause as a fellow traveler of sorts if you cannot be an actual Death Eater. You will need to practice Occlumency so that you can hide the fact that you are actually learning what we need to know."

Emily opened her mouth but the Headmaster held up his hand. "We will set it up so that Emily can continue her training at St. Mungo's. Then it is my hope that she will act as an associate of sorts for our school infirmary during the times when Poppy is most busy. After she is certified, she can continue at the hospital or work as a healer in Hogsmeade.

"Finally, with the three of you living at the school, we have some ability to protect your Hope. Now, Emily, you are going to yell at me for putting your husband's life in danger when you worked so hard to protect him."

Emily opened and shut her mouth several times, trying to formulate what she was thinking.

Dumbledore looked at her kindly. "You have exhibited great love and daring. You have given much and, even so young, you have lost much. Before this is over, many witches and wizards will have to make similar sacrifices. I hate to ask it of you, but you may be required to sacrifice more, yourself."

Severus recognized the color of his wife's eyes and was prepared for her to argue or yell at Dumbledore. Instead she closed her eyes and nodded. "I understand."

"Severus, can you do this? It will take a great wizard, one who can master all of the subtleties and craftiness of the situation; in short, it calls for a member of Slytherin House.

"He's going to demand the prophecy."

"And you will tell him what you know."

"What about those children?" asked Emily.

"We will know in August who the likely candidates are and we will take steps to protect them. At this time, I see no other way. If Voldemort already knows about the prophecy, he will try to find the Seer otherwise, and I would rather that person remain hidden. If he accepts what Severus can tell him, the Seer, and the full prophecy, will be protected."

* * *

Emily put the baby down and went over to where her husband was resting on the bed.

"Are we going to take his offer?"

"I don't see another way."

Emily sat on the bed near her husband, waiting. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for, but she knew there were many things on his mind. She put her hand close to his so that he could touch it if he wanted to.

"It wasn't a happy childhood. They fought, and he drank, and sometimes there was violence. She managed to bring magic into it. Not just the magic of her being a witch and raising me as a wizard, but the magic of making me believe there could be something in this world that would make it all worth it.

"She worked and struggled, so hard. The happiest moment in her life since I've known her was the fifteen minutes I told her about you and why she was coming to tea at Margo's house. It was the sort of thing she'd been wishing for. The day that she was the first person to hold Hope was pretty high on her list, too.

"She wasn't particularly likable, any more so than I am. Shush, Emily, I know, but you're the only person I know who enjoys my company unreservedly. She was my mother and now she's gone. Emily, if I didn't have you and Hope, I would be alone in the world."

He reached for her then, pulling her beneath him and kissing her in desperation. She kissed him back and gave what he needed. Severus watched the reflection of the stars in his wife's eyes and he knew that he needed to protect her and their daughter. Instead of rolling to his side to look at Emily as he often did, he folded her beneath him for a moment, as if to hide her from those who would hurt her. As Dumbledore had said, they had already given up too much.

_A/N: Thank you all for reading and commenting, especially to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, and excessivelyperky! A big thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy!_


	20. In Place

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and people; my OC and AU elements._

As they grieved for the lost mother and grandmother, Emily went back to work, and took Hope with her. St. Mungo's had a day care center on site and Emily enjoyed spending time with her daughter when she wasn't needed to tend patients. She found that she enjoyed being back at work as well, and the opportunity to spend time with other professionals.

She came home one night the first week to find that her husband was on the couch, moaning. "Severus! What happened? Why didn't you come to the hospital?"

He looked up at her. "It's done. I'm a spy for him."

"Why did he hurt you?"

"For holding out so long, and not being a full Death Eater. Turned me over to the group I used to meet with at school." He winced. "I need the cures we worked out."

"He turned you over to people who used your own curses on you? He does that to people he likes?" Emily looked at her husband and her professionalism took over. "Never mind."

Hope was placed in a wind-up swing before Emily went to the kitchen to gather materials she would need. The charms they had developed helped greatly. Finally, he showed her his left arm, on which had been placed a horrible mark, which was neither brand, nor tattoo, nor cut; but somehow all three, as well as something worse.

"This essence of murtlap should help, but I don't know of any way to actually remove it," said Emily.

"No! I can't remove it. It's how he contacts them... us. It feels better, though. Everything feels better, Emily. Thank you."

"I've heard of the Mark. Has he somehow made you a Death Eater after all?"

"No. This is an abbreviated Mark, but it will burn whenever he wants me just like theirs do."

"How did it go?"

"He used Legilimancy again to get the prophecy. He didn't see anything about our conversation with Dumbledore except the job offer. The Dark Lord wants me to take that job."

"Is that good?" Emily poured out a measure of the potion that would help the headache her husband no doubt had.

"I think so." He took the potion and looked at his wife. "Emily, would you hold me like you did the other time?"

The baby was asleep. Emily helped Severus off the couch and walked him into the bedroom and onto the bed. Emily drew him to her and put her arms around him, stroking and rubbing his head and shoulders until he fell asleep.

Severus awoke some hours later as Emily slid between the sheets next to him, having done the various tasks that required attention in their home every evening.

"You and Hope will be safe, now." He spoke in a whisper so that the headache would not come back, but loudly enough to startle his wife.

Emily brushed her fingers through his hair. "We've traded your safety."

"I'll be at least as safe as I have been; I don't think I was ever safe to begin with. There might be other children as well."

"Do you want more children?"

"I never thought I wanted any," he responded, "but Hope makes me want more. Maybe in a year or two. I love our little girl and I love you when you're pregnant, not to mention I love making you pregnant. I love you, Emily."

Emily leaned down and kissed him. "I love you, too, Severus." He captured her lips and put an arm around her, caressing her with the other hand.

Emily pulled her lips away long enough to whisper, "Severus, your headache."

He leaned back long enough to pull her nightgown off. "I want you, Emily, please..."

"I can't say no to you, not when you're touching me..." The rest of what she was saying was lost in a loud gasp as his hands did something particularly rousing. She returned the favor and for a while all conversation was lost as they gave themselves to each other.

* * *

"Dunderheads! Complete Dunderheads!" Professor Snape stormed into his apartment sitting room and found his wife sitting on the floor in front of a box.

Emily smiled up from the books she was sorting "You were expecting already accomplished Potions Masters and Mistresses?"

He sat down. Emily had somehow managed to place this chair in exactly the right place near the fire. He allowed himself to relax a moment. "No, I guess I wasn't. I just didn't expect them to be so prone to exploding their cauldrons nor poisoning me with their noxious fumes."

"What level was it, today?"

"Third years this morning, second years this afternoon."

"Have you had the O.W.L.s. class, yet?"

"No."

"Well, perhaps you will find the fourth and fifth years easier to manage."

"Perhaps." He sat and relaxed some more, considering that it really wasn't so bad, and noticed his wife's occupation. "Get off the floor, Emily. You will get a chill." He got out of the chair long enough to reach down and lift her onto his lap.

"Why, Professor! This is so sudden!" Emily's voice sounded strangely breathless. Perhaps it was not so strange given the feelings that moved between them at being clasped together so closely. She fit her head under his chin. "I won't get a chill this way."

"This may have been a mistake. Where's the baby?" Severus was sounding a bit choked himself.

"Madam Pomfrey begged me to let her take Hope for the afternoon."

"So we're alone?"

"Until your office hours."

"I can cancel them if need be. It's just the first week."

_A/N: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy!_


	21. Settling In

_Disclaimer: All JKR's world except for my own OC. Please note that this chapter, especially contains some exact wording borrowed from PS/SS._

Emily watched her husband come in from the fifth year Potions class on Friday afternoon. He slumped in his chair and pinched his nose between his eyes. Emily stood to come to him, but he held up his hand and she sat down in the chair across from his.

"I had to give the entire Slytherin fifth year class detentions and deducted ten points each, in front of the Gryffindors, no less. The ringleaders are younger brothers and sisters of people like Yaxley and Runcorn, who want to do me an ill turn. They managed to blow up the store cupboard. The cupboard was repaired easily enough, but they destroyed the entire term's worth of ingredients."

He sat up and looked at his wife. "I don't know if I can do this. These kids are capable of the work. They knew just how to cause the explosion without permanently damaging the cupboard."

"Why did they do it?"

"I kept them after class and they made some comments about my marriage to a blood traitor. Plus, they know I don't have full status with the Death Eaters and some of their families have put them up to making me suffer. I have to figure out what to do with them by tomorrow morning. Maybe I should go to Dumbledore and tell him it's all off. If I don't know what to do with the difficult students in my own house, how will I deal with McGonagall's lot when they act up?"

Emily went over and sat on Severus's lap. She put her fingers in his hair and started rubbing his head. "You're just overtaxed right now," she said. "I know that you're more Slytherin than that. You are just what those students need. You will figure out how to turn this group into your faithful followers. In the meanwhile, I'm surprised they don't realize how they should fear you. Perhaps it's too long since you sent Nott and Rosier to the hospital wing."

"I see what you mean," Severus said, although he was actually looking at the opening in her robe. Emily must have recently fed the baby and not fastened up yet. He put his arms around her and allowed her to comfort him some more.

* * *

The Slytherin fifth years came into the dungeon with folded arms and belligerent attitudes. At exactly the moment appointed, the door slammed shut and the last students needed to step a bit lively in order to not get hit by it. Professor Snape indicated silently that they should all sit down and they did. He fixed them with a cold and unyielding stare and they sat quietly, every eye upon him.

He started speaking, so quietly that they had to lean forward to hear. "You are here to learn, and I to teach, the subtle art of potion making. It requires great discipline, which you seem to lack. You are also the first class of students who will graduate from Slytherin House with me as your Head of House. As your future Head, as of today, I am greatly disappointed due to this lack of discipline. Slytherin House is known for being cunning and resourceful, not for buffoonish pranks. You can achieve greatness, and I can teach you how, but we must work together."

He stepped into the middle of the classroom. "For today, you will work to prepare the ingredients you destroyed yesterday so that we can complete our course this year. There is a different item on each desk. If you are unsure as to the proper preparation of your item, please ask. Any student improperly preparing his or her item will continue in detention until I am satisfied. You may begin."

He walked quietly through the room, inspecting the work of the students and assessing strengths and weaknesses as he went. Some merely had to chop leaves or grind roots in a mortar and pestle. Those he had assessed to be the ringleaders had to prepare flobberworms or extract bobotuber pus. A quiet buzz started within the room. It was allowable as long as it was productive, but the professor listened to the various conversations for potential trouble. At one point he heard some snickers and a whispered comment about "marrying Sirius Black's leavings."

Without a thought, he roared, "Silence!" as he cast a silent _Langlock_ spell upon the student speaking. He walked up to the student who had spoken and stood before him, his eyes menacingly cold, now.

"I suppose, Watkins, you are referring to Mrs. Snape?" The student nodded. "That's another twenty points from Slytherin. Let this be a lesson for all of you," Severus said to the class at large. "I would prefer that our house be known for respect toward women at all times and in all circumstances. Failing that, I will just make one requirement clear." He looked around the room again and again every eye was upon him. "You will at all times be respectful toward Mrs. Snape. I suggest it as a precautionary measure for yourselves as well as because I demand it. She is a fully certified witch of great talent who will soon be a certified Healer. You wouldn't want to have difficulties at St. Mungo's because you had gotten off on the wrong foot with her, would you?" All ten students shook their heads.

Professor Snape walked back to his desk. "I see some of you have completed your tasks. You may bring them up to me as you finish." He sat at his desk and watched at the students with a bored glare. Fortunately they all prepared their ingredients properly and he would not have to schedule more detentions over this incident. As Watkins left the room, Snape flicked his wand to release the student's tongue.

* * *

"I've been hearing from parents this week, my boy. You've definitely made a mark." Professor Slughorn was sitting in the Snape sitting room and enjoying a brandy poured by his host.

Severus thought for a moment. "Horace, I intend to win the House Cup every year, if possible. I need to start by getting the older students to be more disciplined and to act more like Slytherins. I don't complain, but they've run a little wild for several years. Being pure-blood is not an automatic guarantee of success."

"That's quite true, my lad, quite true. I'm not sure I would have made quite so many waves the first week, though. It's going to be rough sailing for a while."

"Only until Slytherin House is well ahead in points by the first Hogsmeade weekend."

"I'll remember to point that out as I reply to ten sets of parents."

"Just between you and me, Horace, this particular punishment has the distinct advantage that if I happen to severely discipline students from other houses, one can point to last Saturday and note that I don't shy away from punishing my own students."

"Why, Severus, that's a very Slytherin approach," said Slughorn, holding out his empty snifter.

* * *

Severus grudgingly adapted to teaching, learning to introduce the students to the first principles before moving them on to increasingly higher work. He found that the second and third year students needed review work on such things before they could be properly introduced to the work of their own year.

Professor Snape was destined never to be a student favorite. Students had a tendency to melt away whenever he came through the hallways with his trademark stern look and swirling robes. A stray comment or movement would frequently earn a cold glare, and occasionally before the culprit knew what was happening, he was caught in a Body-Bind Curse or Silencing Charm. There was no hope, if he was in a corridor, of him missing anything. Snape's eyes and ears caught everything that happened in his presence and his wand hand could move in a blur.

Eventually, Severus found that he even enjoyed the work, in his way. The occasional glimmer of success in students who usually showed low aptitude gave him great satisfaction. He enjoyed the trust and respect of the younger children who came to him for guidance. The O.W.L. classes were not up to the level he would wish, but he found the prospect of teaching them to be more challenging than troubling.

Most of the students in Slytherin House discussed the detention given by Snape and were only too happy to participate quietly in class, improving the overall marks of Slytherin House and quickly gathering enough house points to overcome the first week's deficit. Professor Snape held occasional meetings with groups of students from his house where he was able to assess the wellbeing of the students and encourage them in those behaviors best suited to their natural inclinations and achieving their goals.

He was frequently busy on Saturdays, overseeing detentions of those intransigent Slytherins who refused to accede to his program. Before long they were joined by Gryffindors who interpreted the new Slytherin attitude to be docility. They quickly learned better but did not learn to stop trying. Snape always seemed to know when the fights were brewing and could end them faster than they began. Having seen the new Potion Professor's willingness to punish his own students, Professor McGonagall could only shrug when her students came to her in indignation. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were a bit more restrained in their behavior but were punished whenever Professor Snape saw fit, which was often enough.

When Professor Snape could no longer justify the restocking of potions ingredients, he set them to work cleaning hopelessly dirty cauldrons, or removing stains from the ceiling, floor, and desks. On days when the detentions were inconvenient for himself or his family, Snape scheduled them in the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey almost always had bedpans and other containers to clean of their odious contents. He also scheduled some of those detentions with Argus Filch, who looked upon Snape's relationship to the student body with gratified eyes.

All in all, Severus Snape felt that he was coming to himself as that first school year passed. As a student he slunk through the hallways cautiously, listening and looking for every danger. As a Professor he still attended to every sight and sound around him but could now walk boldly and know that he would be obeyed and even feared as necessary.

In the classroom Professor Snape was no longer the subject of envious derision for knowing far too much, but was feared as a teacher who knew every step that the students took correctly or incorrectly. He was soon admired by the younger and a few of the older members of his house for his show of strength in the school. What he didn't expect was the adoration of the Ravenclaws and higher-scoring students of all houses who appreciated the level of scholarship he encouraged them to attain. Most startling of all was the discovery that if he didn't have a wife and ethics, he could have easily found ways to while away the cold nights.

The only trouble in his life, if it was a trouble, was that his wife frequently had to work odd shifts, leaving him to more cold nights than he would like. Although he found it easier to sleep at night knowing that at some point she would slide into bed with him, he still had difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep when she wasn't there. Fortunately when she worked at night she left the baby with him, which was a comfort.

When they moved to Hogwarts, Hope had reached the age of smiles and flirting and learned quickly how to wrap her father around her finger. She quickly became a favorite amongst the rest of the staff as well, who would pass her up and down the staff table during dinner as Severus ate his. Late at night, he would give her a bottle and she would snuggle right up against him and neither would move until Emily came home and woke them up.

_A/N: Thank you all for reading, especially to those of you who have reviewed as well. Thanks as always to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	22. An Awkward Moment

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and people; I just added an OC or two._

As the school year progressed from fall and through winter, the war was not going well for the Ministry and Order of the Phoenix. It was perhaps a sign of how well it went for the Death Eaters that Severus was not often asked to join the Dark Lord and his followers. The few times he was called to a meeting with that master it was to verify some point that had been discovered by a different spy, or to comment that the Order of the Phoenix was indeed unable to anticipate the Death Eaters' movements.

Emily had a much harder time than Severus at this point. He was kept from danger because his other master did not want to lose so valuable a servant in the heart of Albus Dumbledore's domain and that servant was therefore not expected to participate in raids and battles. Emily, however, saw the wounded and dying at St. Mungo's and heard about the dead from those whom she saw.

Emily was working on a patient as one night shift ended when a fight between Death Eaters and Aurors erupted right outside her curtained area. Her patient jumped up to join the fight and before she knew what had happened, Emily had been hit by a hex. Someone came and stopped the fight and a few moments later another person came and found Emily sitting on a stool, trying to stay conscious.

"Em!" Sirius Black was standing next to her. "Do you want me to get another Healer?"

"I need Severus. Can you help me get to Hogwarts?"

"You should get looked at. Don't you want a Healer?"

"Severus knows this spell. He will know what to do. Sirius, if you're going to help, get me to Hogwarts."

He half carried her out into the hallway. The Floo was not functional after the battle that had broken out. "We're going to have to Apparate, Emily, and walk from the gate. Can you do it?"

"Can you do Side-along?"

"Yes, Emily, hold on."

He walked her to the Apparition area and an instant later they were facing the locked gates of Hogwarts. Sirius sent his Patronus to request that someone let them in.

"Emily, are you still here?" He nudged her to make sure she was still awake.

"Yes, Sirius. What is it?"

He was quiet for a moment. "You really do love him, don't you?"

"He's everything to me."

"You never felt that for me?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius. I wanted to. You were the boy every girl would love to date, but there was really nothing."

"After your daughter was born, my mother made some calculations and summoned me. She couldn't understand how, with all my whoring ways, I couldn't make you pregnant and force you to marry me if a half-blood could do it."

"What did you tell her?"

"I just left the house. I couldn't tell her the truth, which was that I was waiting for you to be ready and you never were."

"I'm sorry."

"I should say you were never ready for me. Clearly you were ready."

"Emily?" Severus was coming toward them and opening the gate.

"Severus, I need you."

"Is there a good reason your arms are around my wife, Black?"

"Actually, there is. She got a nasty hex at the hospital and she would fall otherwise. She insisted on coming to you and the Floo at the hospital was out."

"Is that all, Black?" Severus had reached them and was easing his wife into his own arms.

"There's nothing going on, Snape. If you must know, she's been telling me all about the delights of being married to you."

"Everything to me," said Emily, sounding a bit tipsy.

Severus used a Levitation Charm so that he could easily carry her up the path within his arms. Sirius followed. Severus turned and looked.

"I thought, since I am here, that I might as well visit Dumbledore. He may want hear from someone on the front lines. Not everyone gets to hide behind the protections of Hogwarts."

Severus bristled at the accusation in Black's voice, but his attention was on Emily. He continued along the path and through the door with his wife, who wasn't quite conscious any more. A few minutes more brought them to their own bedroom, where he removed her robe and searched for the mark the hex had made. Finding it, he applied the correct counter-spell and brought her a potion to drink.

Emily reached up and brushed his hair from his face. "You needn't look so worried. I was sure you would know what to do."

"I don't want you to work there any more."

"I'm so close to being certified, and now that Lily's quit, they really need me."

"Lily's quit?"

"Yes, it's a horribly kept secret. The Potters are living in an obscure small town; only Dumbledore and a couple of other people know where. The rumor is that they're going to move someplace else over the summer. Lily has given up her healer training for now, and James has quit Auror training. Sirius, too, but he was only in it to be with James. Both of them have gobs of family money, anyway. It's not like they need it."

"Emily, you don't need to work, either."

"Can we talk about it again after I'm certified? I'm so close, and no one wants to kill me."

"It might have happened anyway. What if this had been a killing curse? What if you had been pregnant when this happened?"

"I'm sure they will improve security, Severus. I'll be fine."

"At least let me talk to Dumbledore and see what he says."

"I love you, Severus." She wanted to distract him.

"I love you, Emily." She succeeded.

He held her close until their daughter cried out for some attention. Emily was in the sitting room, giving her a feeding when someone knocked on their door. Severus opened it to see Sirius standing there. Sirius was not prepared to find a scene of familial bliss and wasn't sure where to look when Severus showed him in. Emily had finished feeding the baby and straightened the dressing gown she was wearing and was now coaxing a burp to come up.

"Well, Black?" Severus fixed his guest with a cold stare.

"I told Dumbledore what happened and he has agreed that if possible, we should get a member of the Order to keep an eye on things at St. Mungo's, at least in the areas where emergencies are handled."

Sirius's eyes strayed to Emily and her baby. The burp had come up and with a sigh the child had closed her eyes and gone to sleep. It was hard to decide whether to look at the enchanting little face or what the small body was nestled against. The dressing gown afforded a close view of something Sirius had long wished to see. An annoyed clearing of his host's throat brought him back to business. He looked into dark eyes that gave nothing away.

"So, Black, am I supposed to trust my wife's safety to one or two of your Order members patrolling the hallways?"

"That's more or less how things were settled this afternoon, Snape. If you don't think we are up to the task, you could do it, yourself."

"That's an excellent idea, Black. I think I shall discuss it with the Headmaster tomorrow. In the meanwhile, I would like to express my gratitude for the way you looked after my wife and bid you good evening. She has had a taxing day and would be better for a quiet evening with her family."

Sirius got the point and made his farewells. Emily smiled and thanked him.

After the door was shut, Severus put Hope into her crib, and came to sit next to his wife. "Do you really think you can do that? Will you be able to spend time at the hospital?" she asked.

"I should be able to, at least until O.W.L.s." His eyes were thawing.

"That could get cozy. How will we manage evenings and nights with Hope?"

"Several of the house elves here complain every day that we should leave her with them more often. I'm willing if you are."

"Hmmm. She's mostly onto solid food, now."

Fingers moved from one lap to unfasten the robe that the other person was still wearing.

"Emily?"

"Yes?"

"You do realize that you could have been seriously injured today and that you need to rest?"

"Do you realize how much I love you?"

"I think you've mentioned it."

"I'd like to show you, too." She was pushing the robe down her husband's arms. By the time her fingertips were touching him through the thin fabric of his shirt, he was lost. Per Severus's wishes, Emily spent the evening with him, but she was not very quiet as she informed the stone walls of their bedroom exactly how she felt about her husband.

* * *

Severus was not heavy hearted on the spring day that Emily finished her practical examinations and received her full certification as a Healer. She had promised to take some time off and he was going to hold her to it. Meeting her at the employee entrance, he pulled her up into his arms and kissed her. "I'm so proud of you, Emily."

"Thank you," she replied.

He set her back down and looked at her. "Did you mean it when you said you would take some time off? I was thinking that perhaps it's time to give Hope a brother or sister."

"Yes, I'm ready to take a year or two off." She smiled shyly up to him. "And actually, there's something I need to tell you."

_A/N: Thank you for reading and for all the reviews!_


	23. Another Trap

_Disclaimer: This world and the people who live in it were all created by JK Rowling. I'm just along for the ride._

_A/N: For those who like a bit of forewarning there is some non-consentual material in this chapter._

The Snape family spent their summer vacation at Severus's home on Spinner's End. The neighborhood was a bit derelict, but Severus enjoyed taking his daughter to the same park he used to visit as a child. He took a certain pleasure in placing Emily in the landmarks of his childhood and finding that she fit right in. It proved to him that it wasn't Lily he had loved so much as what she stood for in his mind.

Severus found that his more secret activities became more active over the summer. Just before the school year ended, he had a conversation with Dumbledore and later took some very important information to his other master. His other master was delighted and brought Snape along when the Death Eaters went to a cottage in a small town.

This was the moment the Dark Lord had hoped for since hearing of the prophecy. He would crush this family and prevent his own downfall. He was in such high spirits that his followers cast the Dark Mark into the sky before entering the house. Upon crashing the door open, however, they found that they had been premature in their celebration. All signs were that the inhabitants of the home had left minutes earlier. In great anger, Voldemort ordered his band of followers to go back to Malfoy Manor.

Emily had to reach an arm out to pull her husband into their house when he arrived. He was in as bad a shape as he had been the day he took the Mark upon his arm. She guided him to the couch in the sitting room and helped him lie down. Shushing her toddler who had started to ask questions, she went to the kitchen for potions and bandages.

"What happened?"

"I need you to send a Patronus to Dumbledore. Tell him it was tonight and that I would like to report. He should come by Floo."

Emily cast the required spell and lit the fire in the sitting room, although the night was warm. She then asked enough about the tortures to which Severus had been exposed that she could ease his pains and cure his injuries. Moments later the Headmaster of Hogwarts stood in the room, dusting off his robes. Emily snuffed out the fire and went back to work on her husband.

"They were convinced," were Severus's first words to Dumbledore. "They saw that it was where they had been living and that they had left quickly. They left a guard there to see if anyone will come back."

"Yet you were tortured anyway," said Emily, her voice full of tears. She was almost done treating him and her professional demeanor was wearing off.

Her husband patted her hand. "It wasn't a successful raid. He didn't destroy the one with the power to destroy himself. It was my fault for not finding out sooner. He punished everyone for being so slow to get there, too."

Dumbledore entered the conversation. "Did he say what the next step is?"

"He says he has another spy, someone who will know everything. I think he means to compromise one of the Marauders, if he hasn't already."

"We will have to use a Fidelius Charm."

"It should be you, Headmaster."

"Call me Albus, please." Dumbledore paced in the small room. "James will want to use one of his friends. I can tell him that one of his friends has become a spy but he won't believe me. Yet the evidence points to the truth of Voldemort's statement. Someone has been passing information." He saw the look on Emily's face. "I know it's not Severus, Emily. It's information he doesn't know." The Headmaster put it aside to think over later. "So, Severus, do you think his trust in you is greater after today?"

"Yes. I was invited to the festivities that followed. They kidnapped a Muggle girl, Albus, and I cannot say aloud what they did to her. They didn't make me do anything, but I did have to watch, on top of the other punishments I had to take."

The Headmaster patted the younger man's shoulder. "We will keep an eye out for her and do what we can. Will you be all right?"

"Emily has fixed my pains and injuries. It will take a while to absorb what I have seen and heard tonight."

"Let me know if it's too much. We will find a way to get you out if we need to. Emily, keep your chin up." He bent over and kissed Hope's cheeks. Emily had put her in the wind-up swing and she was dozing. "You're as beautiful as ever, little one." In a flash he was gone.

Emily turned back to her patient. "Are you ready for the last potion? You should probably go upstairs first."

Severus let his wife guide him up the stairs and through the necessary procedures for getting to bed. He lay back and listened as she went back down and got their little one. As she put their daughter in bed, he listened to the soft good nights and kisses and drank the last potion. Finally, he lay contentedly within Emily's comforting embrace.

One couldn't tell such a wife about the horrible things the Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange, did to the Muggle girl. He couldn't tell her about the comments he received from the Death Eaters about being too timid or perhaps too sick from his punishments to take a turn abusing the girl. He couldn't tell how the master had interpreted his reticence to be a single minded lust for another woman. He couldn't tell her about how Malfoy had laughed and made a comment about Mrs. Snape and her attributes. A wife as sweet and guiltless as Emily wouldn't understand such things. Severus was barely willing to acknowledge their existence himself. Emily was too good for it all. He sighed with contentment in his present state and let the potion guide him to sleep.

* * *

Severus couldn't tell Emily about the gleam in the Dark Lord's eye when she was mentioned. He didn't see it. The Dark Lord thought he knew about the lady Severus desired and had plans to reward his servant with that very lady. The mention of the other lady brought him to another point. Severus's wife owed a debt and he would collect one day. The thought that she might be attractive gave him an idea.

"Malfoy, come here," he beckoned.

Lucius stood before him. "My Lord?"

"Tell me about Mrs. Snape. I assume you greeted her as you greet all women?"

"Ah, yes," said Lucius, smiling at the memory. "Her face isn't much to look at. Not awful, just not very memorable. Her form, however, I still have dreams about. It's clear to see why Snape wouldn't want that Muggle when he has the delightful Emily waiting for him. I think even I could be faithful to a woman like that."

"Not likely." Bellatrix overheard this exchange and weighed in. "Rumor within the family is that she held off my cousin Sirius for three years. There's only one reason he would wait for any girl, since he could have almost any girl he wanted. He must have found her particularly attractive." She smiled cruelly.

The Dark Lord decided. "Lucius, go get your wife. I would like to add a couple of guests to our next dinner party." He turned and looked at Bellatrix, whose smile was turning to a look of petulance. "It doesn't mean I love you less, my dear. It is simply one of the necessities of war. One must think of the future."

* * *

Emily was preparing a quiet celebration for her second wedding anniversary when she received an owl from Narcissa Malfoy. The note asked her to meet Narcissa at a particular address on Diagon Alley that afternoon. Severus had been gone all day and Hope was spending the weekend with Margo. Emily estimated that she could still run this errand and be home in time to greet her husband, so she went.

As soon as she arrived, Narcissa whisked her through a dingy door and up a staircase into what must have been the most exclusive dress shop in Wizarding London. Emily was stripped down to her underwear and measured. Narcissa looked between various models of dresses and Emily's figure. "You have been invited to a dinner party at our home, tonight, Emily, and it's imperative that you look just right."

"But—"

"Severus will be there, too. He's already at a meeting there. You will meet many important people in a certain circle, Emily. Hardly anyone gets to do that without becoming one of them. This is a great honor."

Narcissa finally decided upon a gown for Emily as well as one for herself. Emily was allowed to put her own robes back on and then Narcissa led as they used the Floo to arrive at Malfoy Manor. Emily's hostess took her to a bedroom and left her there.

Emily was given no rest as a flurry of hairdressers and house elves prepared her for the dinner party. When they were done, Narcissa came back, looking chic and elegant in a strapless black gown, her long blond hair somehow piled up equally elegantly on her head. She looked Emily over from every angle and finally nodded.

Emily's dress was something a Greek goddess might have worn, soft fabric draping and clinging to her shape. Much was left uncovered around Emily's shoulders and arms, but the skirt was full. Narcissa had chosen a color of icy blue that contained a hint of silver. Emily's eyes looked a much brighter shade of blue as a result. Her hair had been swept up onto her head as well and Emily would have felt cold and naked if she didn't have the matching wrap that came with the dress.

Something about the wrap amused Narcissa, who declared Emily ready and finally relented to her pleas to see her husband. "I will send Severus up, but you must be back downstairs in no more than five minutes, Emily. This is a very important evening for your husband and therefore you, too.

"Emily?"

Suddenly Severus was before her and she felt relieved. He walked through the room and kissed her, placing two rings on her finger with her wedding ring. "Severus, what—"

"Quietly," he said in a low voice. "We need to play this out. Don't forget to hide your feelings."

"I'm nervous."

"That's fine. Let me look at you." Severus looked at Emily as critically as Narcissa had, but she felt warmed under his gaze. "Happy Anniversary. You are breathtaking, my dear. They will all love you." He kissed her again and took her downstairs to where the other guests were gathered before dinner.

As Severus introduced her to the various people in the room, Emily was surprised by the way he behaved. He was acting in a deferential manner that she didn't think she had ever seen except when he had addressed a professor as a student. It reinforced her concerns about this dinner party. She realized that this was part of the role he played in this world and that as much depended upon her actions tonight as they did upon his.

Emily found that she had been seated several places down from the head of the table, while her husband was immediately to the left of the head spot. Bellatrix Lestrange was on the right. Everyone stood at their place until the guest of honor arrived. As Lord Voldemort walked into the room, Emily became aware of a sense of powerful magic that was oppressive and chilling. She was determined to help her husband, and smiled as she saw the others were doing.

As dinner progressed, Emily chatted with her dinner partners while keeping an eye on her husband. Severus appeared to be completely unconcerned as he ate his dinner and spoke, not seeming to notice that both the Dark Lord and Bellatrix were constantly glancing at Emily, he with an interested look and she with an angry glare.

During one lull in the conversation, Emily chanced to look at the rings on her finger. One was a diamond solitaire and the other a band that matched her wedding ring with small diamonds around the diameter of it. Emily looked at these reminders of her husband's love and smiled up at him. The person sitting at the head of the table intercepted this glance and thought it was for him.

Dinner was eaten and toasts were made. Emily stood as everyone else did, and looked up to find herself standing next to the guest of honor, who held out his arm. "It would please me, Mrs. Snape, if I could have a word with you." Emily looked at her husband who nodded almost imperceptibly and put her hand on that arm. As she turned, her wrap fell to the floor as if snatched away and she was unable to retrieve it. Looking around the table, she saw her hostess holding her wand and looking coolly pleased.

Emily's companion guided her into a private library. He stood her in front of a roaring fire and proceeded to walk around her, looking intently at her. Although the fire was warm, Emily's nervousness and the removal of her wrap, combined with the cut of the dress, resulted in an appearance almost as revealing as if she had been completely naked.

"I've always wanted to meet the young woman who stole Severus Snape from the Death Eaters," he finally said.

"He's your servant anyway," replied Emily, quietly.

"Yes, but not as effectively, and not as close to me as he would have been. You used strong magic, Emily, if I may call you that, and I have decided what I want in return."

"Are you hoping I will become a Death Eater?"

"No, although if things go as I intend, I will leave my mark on you. Yes, you have a very pleasing shape and much to hold a man's interest. Your face is not memorable but pleasant enough. Narcissa has dressed you brilliantly tonight. She has been very impressive in this task I set her. Meanwhile, you have been a quite proficient adversary in the matter of Severus Snape. "

He took a step closer. "Can you guess what I want, Emily?"

"No." She looked at the carpet and focused on her breathing so that the fear brought on by his nearness would not become obvious.

"I have decided that I would like an heir of my own. I don't actually need one, yet such a person might come in handy. I think you would do admirably as the mother of my heir."

Emily looked up with a white face. He was standing even closer. "Surely there are others."

"None that interest me the way you do. I'm fascinated that an apparently ordinary witch like you was able to thwart me in my desire to bring Severus into my circle. You have also already given birth to a future Death Eater whom I am told shows signs of being as strong a witch as her father is a wizard. Why not a child of mine, who will be as strong as I am?"

"And if I refuse?"

"I will kill your husband. I would hate to lose him. He's a powerful wizard and well placed in my enemy's world, but I would kill him and then you would be mine, anyway."

Emily did not take her eyes from the face of the wizard who was threatening her. "But if I agree to do what you want, my husband will know. He will know and try to kill you and most likely die."

"Yes, that is a problem." Emily's companion reached out his hand and touched Emily. "But I think I'm willing to risk it." His touch started at her shoulder and traveled around from there. It did not ignite the fires of her husband's touch but was strangely more arousing than when Sirius touched her. This feeling of desire troubled her. "Ah, your experiences in the past were with a school boy. You will learn the difference, Emily." His whisper directly into her ear sent a shiver down her spine.

He stopped suddenly when he got to the firm bulge just below her middle. "What is this?" he hissed.

"My baby. Surely you knew—it is no secret—I'm pregnant."

"When will this child be born?" His eyes were completely red and narrowed to slits.

"Early in the new year."

The man in the room took a few steps back. "Thwarted again." He looked at Emily and smiled in a manner that frightened her more than anything had, yet. "Another future member of our family, to go with young Margo, so much the better." He thought a moment. "You know that we are searching for a young wizard named Harry Potter and his parents?" Emily nodded.

"I have arranged between your husband and myself to spare the mother if possible. So this is what will happen: After I have dispatched young Potter and his father, and after this new servant of mine within you is born, Severus will no doubt want to console the grieving widow and won't mind if I spend some moments with you. Until that time, I will keep an eye out for you, Emily. I look forward to our hopefully fruitful partnership." He sat down and looked at her one last time. "You may leave. I need to speak with Narcissa."

Emily forced herself to walk calmly and not too quickly to the door, which opened just as she reached it. Severus was right on the other side, holding the wrap that had fallen to the floor. He folded her into it as he folded her into his arms, erasing the fears of the last few minutes. The doubts weren't quite so easy to dispel.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I'm grateful to reveiwers Allycat1186, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and babington. A huge thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy, as well.


	24. His and Hers

_Disclaimer: JKR's world and people; my OC or two plus some AU elements._

Severus could not account for the change in his wife's behavior. The night of the dinner party, when he tried to touch her she reacted with fear. Although he had wanted to make love to her on their wedding anniversary, he merely put his arms around her and soothed her to sleep. He recognized the gloom that commonly followed a dinner party at Malfoy Manor for some days and watched it recede from her, but there was a sense of fear and worry for which he could not account. She watched him constantly, found dozens of ways to get him to tell her he loved her, and clung to him at night as though she feared to lose him.

Severus was taking a more active role in the Dark Lord's activities, often accompanying Death Eaters as they went to their tasks. He watched and only participated rarely when people were injured and killed. He went to meetings afterwards and continued to be offered a place in the festivities with which they were rewarded. He always declined.

He couldn't decline when punishments were handed out, but afterwards there was always Emily. Emily healed his hurts, and listened to the stories he was willing to tell her. On the rare nights Severus wasn't injured, she always welcomed him home with open arms. At night she made love to him with the passion and sweetness he had always known in her. However throughout the summer there remained some piece of her that was aloof and watchful.

He tried to probe Emily's mind to see what his master had told her but he had not yet learned how to do so without causing her pain. Severus attempted as well as he could to reassure her, but feared that until he understood what had happened at the dinner party he would not be completely successful. For some reason, he found no way to bring up the subject without distressing her and chose instead to leave it alone.

The new school year began. Professor Slughorn was still the nominal Head of Slytherin House, but other than working with the seventh years, he had turned the management over to Severus. The younger professor now had an uncomfortable task that he hoped his wife would help with. Perhaps it would distract her from what troubled her as well.

"Emily, could you help me with something?"

"What is it?"

"I find that some of these younger girls, third year and below, are woefully deficient in understanding how their own bodies work."

"Oh, no! What can their mothers be thinking?"

"Some might be orphans. Do you think you could have a meeting with them?"

"I would love to." Emily smiled up at her husband in a way he hadn't seen in a while.

One meeting turned into several as the girls asked more and more questions about life and boys and dating. Emily met with them as a group and also individually as certain issues came up. Severus found himself greatly relieved as Emily regained her self-assurance and cheerfulness. The Snape family was doomed if it depended upon the husband and father for cheer.

Now that the Slytherins were, for the most part, well behaved, the Gryffindors were becoming a nuisance. For some reason, a few well-chosen punishments never seemed to deter the young lions. Whenever Professor Snape thought he had dealt the deciding blow to one group within that House, another group would start to tempt his patience. It would be a never ending battle with a house that apparently had adopted him as its nemesis.

Emily knew her husband was worried about her. He didn't realize how worried she was about him. She had been given a reprieve by their child but the Dark Lord would exact payment eventually. If Severus learned the specifics of the conversation, he might try to kill his master now.

Emily knew it would be a fight to the death, and she knew that Severus could not be the person mentioned in the prophecy. She would be left without her husband, Hope and the new baby would be without a father, and they would all be defenseless. That man would become her master and when he no longer wanted her, she would be at the mercy of the Death Eaters.

Worse still was Emily's reaction to Voldemort's touch. She had taken a certain pride in knowing that only Severus could move her in that way. Her body belonged to him and only responded to him. It had been one of the foundations of her life since the night she had made the offer and his hand had been on her body. She now knew that was not the case. She was no better than a tramp, or a prostitute, because if it came to it, Emily would feign even more than she felt to protect her husband. This only confirmed her wickedness in her own mind.

Meanwhile there was the question of whether Severus would actually ask for the life of Lily Potter if the Dark Lord succeeded in finding her. Emily wanted to believe that it would be due to a lingering affection for a childhood friend. She wanted to believe in her husband's love for her. Yet a doubt had been sown, and as she doubted herself, she began to doubt her husband. Emily began to brood on the possibility that if she did not lose Severus to death at his master's hand, she would lose him to the other woman whom he once loved.

It was a relief to have the task of helping the young Slytherin girls with their questions. They were so frank in their curiosity sometimes and so shy at other times. They had started coming to her in ones and twos, as well. One or two older girls had come to her with difficulties they had with their boyfriends. A couple of girls had been abused by people they should have been able to trust. Emily helped them all as she could. As the fall wore on, Emily began to feel that she had a purpose at Hogwarts and she started to shake off her misgivings.

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk and excessivelyperky. Thank you especially to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	25. November 1

_Disclaimer: This world, people, and most of its events were created by JKR. I have added an OC and some AU elements._

_A/N: Some important canon events get discussed and described directly and in a round about way in this chapter and the next couple of chapters. If you need a refresher, the events discussed here are most clearly described in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and HP and the Deathly Hallows._

"Emily!"

Emily looked up from cutting an apple for her daughter to see the Headmaster's head in her fireplace.

"Yes, Headmaster?"

"I have a young patient that Hagrid will be bringing to you this morning. He's a rather odd case, and I think a thorough exam by someone who has had your special studies would be valuable."

"Certainly, do you know when he'll be here?"

"I'm not sure. Hagrid will bring him soon and then he is under orders to take him to his next destination. I hope you can work without keeping him too long."

"Yes, I will."

"And, Emily, I want your report to be verbal, only. When you are finished, I need you to come to my office and report to me and only to me."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you, Emily."

Albus Dumbledore got up from his hearth side and returned to the middle of his office.

Severus Snape's face was buried in his arms, the whole of him slumped between the Headmaster's desk and the chair he was sitting on. "I didn't know what he was asking. I thought it was just a throwaway question to make sure I was still on his side. It's not that hard to find the name of the town where you spent most of your youth, Headmaster."

"Yes, it can be easily looked up in several histories. It sounds as though he merely wanted you to confirm a detail of what his other informant told him. Perhaps James and Sirius were a little too clever in the wording of their spell. And after you alerted me, you followed him to Godric's Hollow?"

Severus sat up. "I wanted to do...something, but all I could do was watch. He walked down the street and stopped and suddenly a cottage appeared. I hid in the shadows across the street and James came to the door. The fool didn't even have his wand! How was he going to protect himself or his family without even his wand? The Dark Lord hardly said the spell out loud and James was gone. And then he reached Lily. He told her to step aside and she refused. She screamed for him to have mercy on the baby and then there was that flash of green and she was silent. There was one last flash of green and I heard _his_ scream, and then the baby started to cry." Severus buried his head in his arms again.

"The Aurors showed up right after that and you came directly here before they saw you?"

The head on the desk nodded, and a sound like a wounded animal was heard.

"It appears, Severus, that he tried to honor the request he thought you made."

There was a shrug.

"It also appears that Lily's sacrifice, made possible by that request, has beaten the Killing Curse."

"It's my fault they're dead."

"Only partly, and only because it fell to you to be the one who carried the message. In allowing you to play that part, I am as much at fault as you. Don't forget that one of the Potters' friends is the true traitor. Someone told your other master about the babies born in late July. Someone told your other master how to find them. You cannot blame yourself for this."

A knock was heard at the door. Professor Dumbledore looked up and spoke quietly. "I suspect the next act of this day is now about to begin. I will be at the Ministry as soon as I can, Severus, but it may be late tonight."

* * *

Emily looked up at Hagrid when he handed her the baby. She had only seen this child once before, when she had held him as he was being born. She knew who he was instantly. "Hagrid, where are this child's parents?" she asked.

Hagrid choked and mumbled out, "Dead. Killing Curse."

"_Both_ of them?" she whispered. Hagrid nodded.

Emily teared up. Two of the liveliest people she had ever known were now forever gone. Then she reflected that the Dark Lord must have lied to her after all. Finally, she saw an injury on the child and remembered that she had a task to complete. Professionalism took over.

When Emily was done with the exam, she re-dressed the baby, remembering the first time this child had been bathed and dressed, by her own hands. She then held him to herself, whispering the motherly words of comfort that she knew his mother would say if she could. She recalled the way the father had taken his son from her hands and then turned to put him in the mother's arms. She kissed him one last time and wrapped him securely. When she finally handed him to Hagrid, she saw again the looks on the young parents' faces as she and the assistant left the birthing area to give them privacy.

She watched Hagrid to the front door of the school with a hand over her own belly. The baby had gotten quite active over the past few days. Emily felt a twinge of something that was definitely not a kick and not quite like a contraction. She rubbed the spot where the pain was and sighed. Pregnancy involved such odd little discomforts, sometimes.

She remembered going into the waiting area and telling Sirius, Remus, and Peter that it was a boy. The three had surrounded her and hugged her as if _she_ had given birth to the child. Sirius had picked her right up and swung her around. Remus was more restrained but the smile in his eyes showed how deeply his delight ran. Peter had given her a quick hug, as though unsure how such a thing was done, and then suddenly had run off. Emily found that she ached for the pain those brave and impetuous men must be feeling today. She turned and started her long climb up to the Headmaster's tower.

* * *

"I've come to report, Headmaster." Emily was sitting in the chair her husband had vacated less than an hour before although she didn't know that. She hadn't seen Severus since he had been called to the Dark Lord's side the previous evening.

"You are no longer my student, Emily. Please call me Albus. So you examined the young patient?"

"I couldn't believe what the diagnostic spell told me. The child was definitely hit by _Avada Kedavra."_

"There's no doubt?"

"None whatsoever."

"His mother somehow protected him. Voldemort was going to let her go free but she refused to step aside and he decided that he was forced to kill her."

"He was going to--?"

"Yes, I'm not sure why." Dumbledore tried not to look directly at Emily. She looked directly at him.

"I know why," she said, quietly.

"It's not necessarily the way it looks, Emily." Now he did look directly at her over his glasses. "Meanwhile, protected as Harry was by his mother's love, when Voldemort tried to kill him, the curse rebounded and it was Voldemort who fell down, dead."

"He what?"

"His body is dead, Emily. However, I'm not sure he's gone, and I was hoping your findings might shed some light."

Emily recited as if telling a supervising Healer about an interesting case while her mind absorbed the respite this gave to herself. "The child has a wound, shaped like a lightning bolt, on his forehead. The apparent cause of this wound would be the failed Killing Curse." She leaned over Dumbledore's desk and lowered her voice. "I don't understand this wound at all. When I probed it, the child's eyes turned red and I nearly dropped him. It's almost as if something were living in that wound. It will scar over, but I'm not sure if it will ever fully heal. In all other respects he's a perfectly healthy fifteen-month-old wizard, right on the developmental milestones for a child of his age."

"That's what I wondered. I will thank you for your assistance, Emily, and let you get back to your charming daughter."

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, and excessivelyperky, and special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	26. Questions without Good Answers

_Disclaimer: JKR created this world and the people in it. I added an OC and some AU bits._

Emily did not get back to her daughter. She was met at the door of her family's quarters by Auror Moody and a couple of interchangeable wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement squad. "You need to come with us, Mrs. Snape."

"My daughter—"

"Your mother is coming to be with her."

They took her to the ministry and started questioning her about her friendship with Sirius.

"When did you last see Sirius Black, Mrs. Snape?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, it must be weeks ago. He's been working with the people who were protecting the Potters."

"You know this for a fact?"

"I guess not. Sirius and James had been best friends since riding the train together before first year. I heard something and figured it was true. What has this got to do with me?"

"What would you say is the relationship between your husband and Mr. Black?"

"It's hostile at its warmest. I don't think they ever agreed on anything."

"They both must have found you attractive."

Emily snorted. "That's hardly the sort of thing to build a friendship upon."

"So you wouldn't be aware of any collusion between the two to break the Potters' secret and inform He-who-must-not-be-named of that site?"

"No! Sirius would die before giving up that secret."

"What about your husband?"

Emily thought before answering. "The last thing he would have wanted in this life was the death of Lily Potter. Anyway, he couldn't give that sort of secret to the Dark Lord. He was the last person on earth James and Lily Potter would have trusted."

"That's an interesting answer to our question, Mrs. Snape."

"It's the best I have."

"Is your husband a Death Eater?"

"No."

"But he's worked for He-who-must-not-be-named."

"Severus has worked for Dumbledore. You would need to discuss what that involved with him."

"Back to Sirius Black. How long were you and he lovers?"

"Never. We started dating during our sixth year at Hogwarts and it became a habit of sorts that continued until shortly before my marriage."

"Were you aware that he was working for He-who-must-not-be-named?"

Emily's eyes suddenly lost their glazed over look. "That's impossible. He hated the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters and even all things Slytherin. He was disowned by his family over it."

"Couldn't it have been a front?"

"From the age of eleven?" Emily shook her head. "I don't believe that. He loved James Potter like a brother and James would never have gone along with that sort of thing. They had no secrets from each other. It drove Lily batty sometimes. Sirius might have hidden something like that from me, but never from James."

They stopped questioning her but held her for hours. That twinge in her tummy came and went. The simulated window showed that it was getting dark and it was later still before Severus came bursting through the door.

"It's fine, now, Emily, we can go. Dumbledore spoke for me and they never really wanted anything from you." He held out his hands to her.

Emily looked up but wasn't sure how to approach her husband. He _had_ asked for the life of Lily Potter, but she thought that his love for her over the past year and a half had been genuine. She decided that at least he loved her as he had on their wedding day and that it was enough. She hurried into his arms and held him tightly as he cradled her and buried his face in her hair.

* * *

They went back to Hogwarts and saw to their daughter. When they were at last alone, they came together despite their grief. It was a relief that the Dark Lord was gone, even if only temporarily as Dumbledore believed. It was a relief not to be held by the ministry any more. It was a relief to be back in their own apartment, with their own daughter sleeping in the next room. Nevertheless, the grief over the destruction of the Potter family, and the loss of so many brave and bright people over the past years hung over them.

Severus never felt more comforted than when his wife made love with him. At such times he knew that all things began and ended with her and that his world made sense. On this night his happiness in her arms was absolute, especially after the day and a half that preceded it. Every kiss was a healing draught and every caress brought him closer to sanity. He didn't think he ever loved her more than at this moment when so many bad things and so many good ones swirled around them. At the moment they were closest a name came to his lips and he cried it out joyfully.

Emily couldn't breathe until she could get away and curled up on the very edge of the bed. She couldn't cry and she couldn't be upset. She had agreed to this from the first moment she and Severus had ever touched each other. She had known his feelings since they were both still children. Perhaps she had been mistaken in the last eighteen months. He had hidden it well and her life had been much richer for it. She was grateful for the gift. On a day like today, it was bound to come out. There had been so much to live through.

Severus lay on his back. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what possessed him to say _that_ name at such a moment, when all he could think about was how warm and loving his wife was, when all he wanted was to be with Emily exactly as they were at that moment. Then he ruined it. He put his hand out to touch her but if possible she huddled even closer to the edge of the bed.

"I've betrayed you."

"I know better. I know what you were hoping for. _He_ told me."

"What did he tell you?"

"He said that you could console the widow and then he said that he and I..." she couldn't say the rest of it.

"No. I never wanted that, any of it." He sat up and looked at her. Maybe she would finally tell him what had happened with the Dark Lord.

Emily got out of the bed and started to dress.

"Emily, I need to tell you how it was and you need to tell me what happened at Malfoy Manor."

"I don't know if I'm ready. I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

"What are you doing?"

"My mum said they're short staffed at St. Mungo's. I'm going to see if they can use me."

"Emily, I don't think it's safe."

"What's going to happen, now? Surely any Death Eaters at the hospital will have had their wands removed."

"Think of the baby."

It put some life in her eyes at least, even if it was a vicious glint. "It's all about the children, isn't it? Even him, he was going to..." she still couldn't say it, "then and there that night, but he wanted to protect the little Slytherin I'm carrying. The first time you ever said you loved me, it was when we knew Hope could die."

"Emily! It's not like that. Sit down, we should talk about what he said to you and what's really going on."

"I don't think I can, Severus. I just need to get out of here for a while. I can be useful at the hospital."

She reached the door and turned around.

"I don't know what Hope is going to be like today, since she was without either of us yesterday. Try to go easy on her."

Emily backed out of the room. Severus heard the puff of the Floo and then nothing.

_A/N: Thank you readers, and reveiwers allycat1186, debjunk, and excessivelyperky! Thank you beta reader Mark Darcy._


	27. November 2

_Disclaimer: This is still the world created by JKR. My story is AU and I've added OC's_

_Warning: There is character death in this chapter._

Severus was overseeing a fortunately uneventful third year class when Madam Pomfrey entered his dungeon. "Severus, you're needed at the hospital."

His eyes took hold of hers. "What happened?"

"They wouldn't tell me. There's something wrong with the baby or Emily or both. We will take care of Hope for you. Just go and don't worry about her."

They took him to the correct room and pushed him through the curtains. Emily was as white as the sheets within which she sat and was holding a bundle that was too small to be real. "I'm sorry, Severus, your son—they couldn't stop it. I tried..." She offered the bundle to him.

The bundle was light, far too light, and so very still. It was hard to reconcile this bundle with the strong thumps he had felt against his hand just a few hours earlier. He was surprised to see the blue eyes staring at him. He felt a surge of hope. "Not dead?"

"He can't live the night. He's already struggling to breathe. We needed to wait at least until the end of November. I fed him, though. He's a good eater."

She sounded just as proud as she had when commenting upon how well Hope had nursed. This dry-eyed, placid woman was not his Emily. "Emily, are you all right? You seem so...calm."

"I want to enjoy every minute of his life. Severus, he needs a name."

Severus looked into his son's eyes and the name just came to him. "Marcus."

"I like it. I think it suits him." She smiled as if it was the most pressing concern at the moment and not as if their son was dying. He sat next to his wife on the bed, facing her. She moved to make room for him and winced.

He looked at her with concern. "It was not an easy delivery, was it?"

"I didn't go into labor, I started bleeding. They kept giving me Blood-Replenishing Potion and I kept drinking it and bleeding and then it was as if he fell out. I thought that if I just lay still like they told me..." A tear ran down her cheek. She blinked the rest back and smiled bravely. "Look at me, crying, when it's the day of our son's birth."

Hours later, Severus and Emily were alone, their little one taken to be prepared for burial. He had met his sister, but at the end he was simply held in the arms of his parents. They took every labored breath with him. When he finally took his last breath and closed his eyes, the tears started running down Emily's face. After a few moments a teary eyed Margo came and took the baby, and one of the assistants took Hope someplace where she could get a nap.

She finally looked up into his face. "I failed you, Severus. We made that beautiful baby and I failed to protect him long enough. I should have stayed home like you wanted."

He held her tighter and kissed her head. "Emily, dear, the Healers told me that if you had been anywhere else, even at Hogwarts with Poppy, you would probably have died, too. They told me it's a condition that can happen to anyone."

"It didn't happen to anyone, it happened to me."

"To us, and at least we were able to meet him and hold him. Emily, the last thing he saw was your smile. It was the most beautiful thing in the world to him."

Her trembling became sobbing, then. Her husband put his arms around her and allowed his own grief to consume him.

It took a while to get Emily to go to sleep. Margo sent Severus and Hope home to rest. He went home and tossed on his bed for a while before showering and dressing. He couldn't sleep without Emily next to him, so he decided to back to the hospital.

She was wakeful and fretting. He got back onto the bed and held her in his arms. She seemed to calm down a bit. After a while, he chanced speaking to her. "Emily, last summer I took you to all of the childhood places where I ever hung out with Lily. I wanted to see what it would be like. As it happened, Emily, I enjoyed them at least as much with you as I ever had with her. It proved what I already knew. I never loved Lily so much as an idea that went with her.

"When I first met the Dark Lord and he probed my mind, even he could tell I didn't really love her. Later, when he told me that he would kill all the Potters, he probed my mind again. He found my horror at the destruction of yes, especially her, and he assumed I wanted her. Dumbledore thought the same thing until he probed my thoughts and saw only you.

"Emily, I don't know what made me say her name the other night. I saw your face, I was with your body, and there was no place else I wanted to be. I've known for some time that she was just an idea I admired while you are the flesh and blood woman I love with all my heart. Your face is the one I want to see when I have a very bad day or a very good day. I love you, Emily Snape."

She was nestled against his chest and he wasn't sure she had heard him until she started talking. "I never doubted you, really. He was just so convincing. He said that since I had kept you from the Death Eaters he wanted me to give him an heir. He told me he would kill you if I didn't do what he wanted and when I told him that you would try to kill him and would possibly get killed he said it was a chance he would have to take. Then he realized about the baby and said it would be just as well to wait because you could be with Lily while he was with me."

"And you believed him?"

"Just enough of it was true, at least at one time."

"Why did you never come to me? Why would you never talk about it?"

"I worried that you might be killed, trying to fight him, and..." She buried her face in his chest, taking a deep breath. "He touched me. He ran his hand along my body, and Severus, my body responded. I'm so ashamed."

"Emily, my dear, did you think you could only feel that way with me?"

"It was nothing like what I feel with you, but still. If he hadn't discovered the baby and if he kept going, I might not have hated it."

"He would rather seduce than rape."

"But why? He could have just overpowered me. He didn't need my cooperation."

"For the very reason you wouldn't tell me any of this, before. He wanted you to think of him, to constantly be aware of him, fear him and to be ashamed around other people. It's the way he was with all of his followers."

"Even you?"

"To some extent."

"Things will be better without him, won't they?"

"Much better. Did he really say he wanted an heir?"

"He said he didn't actually need one, but that one could come in handy."

"I think you need to tell Dumbledore."

"Everything?"

"I think he might want to know about the Dark Lord wanting an heir. Emily, would it be possible for you to let me see how it was that night?"

"Do you really have to?"

"I think I know how to look without asking, now, but I wish you would show me."

It was Severus. She had known him almost half her life and she could trust him. She lifted her eyes to his and Severus felt her fear in the conversation, heard the voice whispering comments that were really threats, and felt her distress and revulsion as her body responded to that well-practiced touch. He understood her sense of violation and shame.

Emily saw the hatred and anger in her husband's eyes in the instant before he clutched her to himself and whispered, "Never again."

"Severus, I won't doubt you any more."

The tears came more quietly this time and with them the start of healing.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for reading, especially to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and williammoseleysgirl. A shout out to those of you who came via the Institution for Harry Potter MarySues C2. As always, thank you very much to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	28. Answers No One Wanted

_Disclaimer: This world and the people who live in it were created by JK Rowling. I have added some OCs and AU plot._

Margo and the other healers kept Emily in the hospital for most of the month. She was there when news came that Sirius Black had been captured after murdering Peter Pettigrew, murdering twelve Muggles, and destroying destroying a city block. It turned out that Sirius had been the person who had betrayed the Potters to Voldemort. Severus was in the habit of coming to have his dinner with her and was particularly vituperative that night.

"I never trusted him. Somehow I always knew he was capable of this sort of thing. If I ever get the chance, Emily, I'm going to even the score." Something in his voice made her shiver.

"Would you kill him in cold blood?" she asked quietly.

He thought for a moment. "No, I don't think I could do that. If he made the slightest move, though, against me or mine, I would do it and be glad."

They were both quiet for a few moments.

Emily started again. "I guess you were right. I never would have believed it, myself. This must have been why they were questioning us that night."

"They thought that Sirius had betrayed the Potters to me and that I had taken word to the Dark Lord."

Emily looked up with worry. "How did you ever convince them that you hadn't done that?"

"Something you said made their theory doubtful and then Dumbledore came and he was brilliant. He said, 'Severus Snape is no more a Death Eater than I am.' They had to believe him and they let me go."

"I still can't get over it. They loved each other almost as much as James loved Lily. I know he loved James more than he ever pretended to love me."

"You are so trusting, Emily." Severus had his arm around his wife and squeezed her close to kiss her forehead. "It's the only thing that makes it possible for you to love someone like me." He started trailing kisses to interesting places.

"Severus," she said with a note of warning in her voice.

"Emily, I miss you. When can I have my wife back?" He was murmuring huskily into her neck.

Emily put her hand on his cheek and kissed him. "They say by the end of the week." She smiled up at him. "The benefit of all this time here is that certain restrictions will be lifted when I get home."

* * *

Emily was walking through the hospital on the morning that she was to be discharged and was present when Alice and Frank Longbottom were brought into the emergency ward.

"They've been hit by _Crucio_ after _Crucio_," said Rufus Scrimgeour. "The Lestranges and young Barty Crouch were trying to find out if their master had somehow survived and been incarcerated. This will kill Bartemius and his wife."

"What's been done for them?" asked Emily.

"We haven't found a spell that will ease their sufferings," answered one of the Healers.

"There's a charm..." said Emily, thinking of Severus's sixth year Charms text. She took out her wand and closed her eyes, picturing the notes Severus had written and his comments to her when she asked about it. "Do you mind if I try it?" she asked.

"We're out of ideas," said the other Healer, "so whatever you have to try is better than nothing."

Emily focused and said the words. Instantly, Alice relaxed. Emily repeated the spell with Frank and he relaxed, too.

"It is not the most effective of spells. It only reduces the effect and probably should be used at the same time as the curse or as soon as possible. Hopefully it will bring them some ease."

The other healers smiled at her. "See how it already has worked," one of them said.

Emily looked at her mother who shook her head with a doubtful smile. The eyes of the patients told a sad story. The suffering might be gone, but the two Aurors were unlikely to return to their former selves.

* * *

Emily was thoughtful as she returned to Hogwarts that afternoon. Severus had a double fifth year Potions class, so Emily went up to the Headmaster's office. He conjured a soft chair for her and offered her tea. Dumbledore then started the conversation by offering his condolences for the loss of her son.

"Thank you Headmaster, but I'm here to discuss a rather difficult conversation I had last summer."

"Indeed, Emily?"

"Last summer, on our wedding anniversary, actually, we were invited to a dinner party at Malfoy Manor. While there, I had a private conversation with the Dark Lord in which he asked me to be the mother to his heir." Emily spoke quickly and tonelessly to her tea cup.

"I take it he didn't really ask."

"He didn't know that I was pregnant at the time." Emily suppressed a sob at the thought of her son. "When he realized it, he said that it was fine, we would wait until after the baby was born in the New Year."

"He actually wanted an heir?"

"He specifically said that he didn't need one, but that an heir might come in handy."

Dumbledore looked over his glasses and Emily found herself remembering the dress that made her feel naked, the look in the Dark Lord's eyes, and her own shame, followed by her husband's love and comfort. He did not say much to her other than that it proved his belief that Voldemort did indeed intend to return to the Wizarding world at some point. He thanked her for the information and then looked kindly at her, again.

"Is there something else, Emily?"

"It's Sirius, Professor."

"Albus, please," he protested.

"Albus, then. When Severus and I..." She wasn't sure how to word it. "When we came together, he was intent upon joining the Death Eaters because he was so disappointed in his love for Lily. I would never believe that Sirius could feel like that over me, but it appears that he must have been a Death Eater. You don't think he could have been as upset over me as Severus was over Lily?"

"Emily Snape, I don't think it would ever have occurred to Lily Potter to worry about such a question," said the Headmaster, smiling warmly. "In Sirius's case, I don't think it is the sort of thing for you to worry about. Perhaps we can get another opinion, though."

Dumbledore stood and threw some Floo powder into his fireplace. Emily didn't know whom he called and didn't understand the conversation from the end she heard. Several minutes later, though, a sandy haired young man stepped out of the fireplace. Emily looked at him critically. He was aging prematurely, the cost of his condition, and there were lines on his face that can only come with the sorrow of a man left alone after the treachery of one friend causes the death of two others.

"Remus!" Emily said, standing to hug him. "I'm so sorry for your losses."

"I hear that you have suffered a loss, too, Emily. I'm so very sorry." He sat in the chair that was conjured for him and looked at Dumbledore expectantly. "You had a question for me?"

"We were pondering whether Sirius may have been broken hearted enough to turn to the Death Eaters," summarized the Headmaster. "Emily is somewhat worried about the question."

Remus looked embarrassed. "Oh, well, Emily, you know he never thought seriously about you..."

"So he wasn't broken hearted?" Emily asked eagerly.

"Angry, certainly, and his pride was hurt, but he claimed he was more upset over wasting time he could have spent with other girls. Although I do think you touched his heart more than that, Emily. I know he missed you after you married Snape, and he liked you more than any girl he knew. He just wasn't the sort to get that worked up over a girl, ever." Remus looked at her sheepishly.

Emily jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you, Remus. I was worried—I've been thinking that if I'd done things differently I might have avoided...well you know. I feel a lot better, now. Anyway I'm sorry that you had to come here to indulge a girlish worry."

He held her hands as she sat back down. "It's not silly, Emily. I've stayed up nights asking myself the same question. Is there something I did or didn't do that would have made a difference? I think James and Sirius thought I was the traitor, or rather, Sirius convinced James of that." Remus Lupin's face was as dark as Emily had ever seen it.

Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat. "If you two don't mind, I have paperwork I must attend to or Minerva will take out her wand. Remus, could you walk Emily back down to the dungeons? She's just gotten out of the hospital and may not be quite up to the staircases, should they move when she's on them."

"Certainly, Albus."

"Thank you Headmaster," said Emily, putting her hand in his.

"Albus, dear, Albus," he responded, patting her hand with his other one.

Emily was grateful several times for Lupin's arm holding her own as they descended to the dungeons. About half way down the stairs, Remus suddenly chuckled. "Did you really have Snape in your bedroom while we were all crashed in the sitting room of your apartment?"

"Yes." Emily blushed at the memory.

"It was a scam worthy of the Marauders themselves, to bring their archenemy so close to them unknown, you know."

Emily smiled. "I hadn't thought of that. We walked right past you, twice. Thank you for clearing up after dinner that night. I know you must have done it."

"I got Peter to help." Remus smiled at the memory and then his face saddened at the more recent memory. "Poor Peter..."

"Did he ever have a life of his own?"

He thought for a moment. "There were some girls. I don't know if they ever amounted to much. He didn't do much that wasn't for his mother."

They reached the main floor of the castle. Emily patted Lupin's arm and thanked him for his help. "I think I should go the rest of the way by myself. I hope things go well for you, Remus."

"Thank you Emily. Take care of yourself."

_A/N: Thank you for reading. Thank you especially for reviewing, allycat1186, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and williammosleysgirl. Very special thanks to Mark Darcy for beta reading._


	29. Recovery

_Disclaimer: As always, I owe the world and people of my story to JKR. Some OCs are mine._

Severus still had a half hour of his Potions class left when Emily got back to their rooms, so she played with her daughter and put her down for a nap. With a few minutes left, she cleared up the toys they had played with. One had rolled under their bed and Emily had bent down on her knees to look for it.

"Please don't kneel on the floor like that." Severus was standing in the doorway and came into the room to lift Emily into his arms and sit on the bed with her in his lap.

"I just wanted to pick up that toy..."

"You might have used _Accio_."

"Does it matter so much?"

"Emily, don't you realize what your body means to me?" He held her tightly. "This is the body that has carried my children and I hope will carry more." He buried his head in her neck and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. "This is the body that makes love to me so sweetly and with such passion and intensity." He looked into her eyes. "This is the body you traded for my soul. It deserves far better than to be on the floor like that."

Emily was trembling from the emotion in his voice. She kissed him and the fires were fanned. Severus pulled his head back to make sure. "Are you...is it OK?"

"Yes," she responded, "we can make love, again. They said at the hospital that I'm healed enough for that."

"But is it all right with you?" He wanted to be sure that nothing was between them. She was astonished by his self restraint and love.

In answer she took his hand and kissed it, then placed it within her robe. She had loosened her clothing when playing with Hope had made her overly warm. He found himself touching bare skin just above her heart, which was beating rapidly.

"Sometimes I think I came alive the first time I touched you, Severus," she said. "I want you here and now as much as I ever have."

"Emily..." Before he could recover his hand she had undone his robe and pushed it off his other arm before moving on to the buttons of his shirt. Severus struggled to catch up to her and then laughed with delight as the race they ran yielded so much to touch and kiss. She took advantage of being ahead and Severus remembered the enchantment of her touch. He decided there was only pleasure in losing such a contest if he were allowed to stop and reacquaint himself with the feel and smell and taste of their love.

The last time they had shared this bed they had been surrounded by ghosts and grief and recent loss. Today they were entirely by themselves. As they moved together they only saw themselves in each other's eyes. A while later full contentment came upon them and they knew they were home and together again as they had not been since the dinner party at Malfoy Manor.

"I--" started Severus, but Emily shook her head and put her finger to his lips, not wanting to end the moment just yet. She kissed him and softly caressed his face. A while later he cleared his throat and started again. "Emily, I love you." He kissed her again.

"Oh, Severus, I love you, too." She looked up at him with stars in her eyes. Her body glowed and he was reminded of the radiantly beautiful woman of their wedding day. He hugged her to him and gloried in the feel of having her in his arms again. He relaxed as he could only do when she was with him in their bed.

* * *

When he awoke it was evening and Emily was in the sitting room with Hope, holding a napkin and warily watching the child feed herself mashed potatoes. Both of the females in Severus's life smiled as he joined them.

"She's so grown up," said Emily. "I feel like I need to reintroduce myself."

"You have plenty of time to get to know each other again, just as we do."

Emily set out Severus's dinner and the three ate together. When she decided she was done, the little girl lifted her arms to her daddy and the three played together until the toddler was ready for bed. They bathed her, read her a story and put her in her bed. They then stood and watched her as she went to sleep. Emily's gaze was hungry as she relearned her daughter's features. Severus put his arm around her and eventually led her back to the sitting room where they settled on the couch.

"Two children won't know their parents as she will know us," sighed Emily. "I don't think the Longbottoms will be able to attend to their son any more than the Potters can to theirs."

He hugged her closer with the arm that was still around her and kissed the crown of her head. "We've been given a reprieve, but who knows how long it will last?" He kissed her neck and then around the edges of her dressing gown.

Emily sucked in her breath. "Severus?"

He looked up. "Yes?"

"I'm so happy to be home, with you."

* * *

Emily and Severus, like many of their contemporaries, rejoiced in the triumph over Voldemort while mourning losses, both personal and public. Many people had been lost in the days before the Dark Lord fell, and some others were lost in a period of lawlessness that followed his demise. The Aurors, Magical Law Enforcement, and Wizengamot were kept constantly busy capturing, trying, and sentencing Death Eaters. Several of these criminals sought to improve their standing and their deals by claiming to know of other Death Eaters. No name was more widely used in that capacity than that of Severus Snape.

It became necessary to hold a full hearing of the Wizengamot on the subject of Severus Snape and his activities. Severus was required to describe, in detail, all of his activities on behalf of both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore. Emily was asked to describe, in detail, what she knew of those activities. She was fortunately spared the question of whether she had ever met Voldemort in person. Finally, Dumbledore himself settled the matter as he had before, stating, "Severus Snape is no more a Death Eater than I am."

As they dealt with the external struggles, an agonized Severus watched Emily recover from the birth and loss of their son. It was difficult to know how she would be feeling on any given day, since many of the physical effects of childbirth were not completely gone. Much of those effects had been dealt with in the hospital during the first month. However, it was not unheard of for Severus to find her weeping in a corner because of a lingering sign of new motherhood or because she found she could fit into a dress she hadn't worn since before she was pregnant. Not knowing what to do, he learned to pull her into his arms and tell her he loved her, sometimes shedding a few tears for his own loss.

_A/N: Thank you again for reading and especially those who reveiw, including allycat1186, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and williammosleysgirl. I enjoy everyone's comments. A special thank you for the kind help of beta reader Mark Darcy._


	30. A Special Night

_Disclaimer: Thank you to JKR for creating these people and their world. I have only added an OC and some AU parts._

_A/N: By way of a warning, this chapter carries an M rating._

The long and difficult fall finally gave way to winter and this year there was again a Yule Ball at the school. The Snapes spent the early part of Christmas Day at Margo's house, watching their daughter get thoroughly spoiled. After an early dinner, they left Hope with Margo and went back to Hogwarts to prepare for the Ball. Emily chose to wear the same dress robes she had worn to the previous Yule Ball, five years earlier. The maroon robes fit beautifully and made her look more regal than she felt.

Severus came up behind her and presented her with a delicate pearl and diamond pendant on a silver chain. The pendant fell to where her cleavage started, just visible above the square neckline of the robe. She turned and looked at her husband and thought how distinguished he looked in the dress robes he had worn for their wedding. He was checking the time on the silver watch she had given him that day and smilingly told her it was time to go up to the party. Emily looked in the mirror to give her hair a final pat as her husband bent down to kiss her neck.

"I should have danced with you instead of Lily that night," Severus said later, as he spun Emily around the floor and enjoyed the lights in her eyes.

"I should have ditched Sirius and come to find you," she responded breathlessly. The song ended and they stood close together. "I'm not sure, though, if I had danced with you five years ago... I don't think I would have been a virgin the night we conceived Hope."

"No?" He looked into her eyes.

She smiled up at him and whispered, "I cannot be in your arms without wanting you to make love to me."

Her voice traveled through his body to where it warmed him and created a pleasing desire. "Are you saying we should leave the party?"

"I think I can last the four hours, but I would be hard pressed to wait two and a half years beyond it."

They were both asked to dance by other partners but came back to each other at every opportunity. The Great Hall seemed to shine with greater brightness this year and all of the guests seemed determined to enjoy themselves more than ever. A great danger had passed, a time of mourning had come and gone, and it was time to remember and enjoy good things.

As the last song was playing, Severus whisked Emily out to the rose garden that had been prepared for the evening. He found a quiet spot to sit down and spoke almost inaudibly. "What would it have been like, if I had stayed out here with you instead of letting Black find you?"

Her eyes were liquid pools reflecting the moonlight. "I don't know, Severus. I used to imagine your fingers caressing my body the way your voice caresses my soul, and your lips, Severus. Somehow I always knew they would set me on fire."

He proceeded to start a new fire with her, coming up for air when a new thought struck him. "We would have gotten pregnant that much sooner. It would have ruined your schooling and your career."

"It didn't happen, anyway," she said, a bit ruefully.

"The party is about over, would you like to walk through the castle?"

"Is this your way of getting company for your rounds?"

"Am I being obvious?"

Emily batted her eyelashes. "I would be honored to have you escort me through the castle, sir."

He started in the dungeon hallway where they had discussed Sirius's horrible prank. "What if I had kissed you here?" Severus asked. "I thought of it, you know."

"I would have lost my virginity here, then," Emily replied simply. "At least we were both of age by then." Her husband kissed her ardently, pressing her body into his own.

"I could never have made love to you here," he said. "It's not good enough for you. It's just as well we didn't."

They wandered up through the castle. Severus stopped every so often, sending some students on their way, docking points from others and setting detentions for a few. Seeing the way the Professor held the hand of his wife, some of the cheekier seventh years observed that they were just doing what he was doing. It didn't keep them from getting detentions _and_ points docked along with the caustic observation that the Professor and his wife were both fully qualified, consenting adults who were legally married. If the seventh years wanted to return in a few years to make out in the hallways, they were welcome to do so.

As they passed the Ravenclaw door, Severus pulled Emily into the classroom where she used to meet Sirius and where she had boldly made her offer to Severus. "What if I had taken you up on your offer then and there that night?" Severus asked, putting his hand where it had been then, his thumb making lazy circles on the surface of her robe.

Emily took his hand and led him out of that classroom and to a near by tapestry. She opened a door behind the tapestry and pulled Severus into a smaller classroom that must have been used for advanced seminars in its day. It had a grouping of couches and easy chairs around a fireplace on one side and piles of cushions on the other side. One entire wall was a window overlooking the mountains.

Severus looked around the room as Emily said, "Not in there. I could never be with you where Sirius used to kiss me. I would have brought you in here. This would have been our space together."

"There's no bed," Severus observed, as he took out his wand and transformed the cushions into a four poster bed with rich hangings and a soft eiderdown. Taking Emily's hands, he kissed her, searching out her mouth. She put her arms around his neck and he put both hands over the front of her robe, searching out the curves to be found there.

Suddenly Emily couldn't wait. A soft moan escaped from her as she moved one of her hands to unfasten Severus's robes. He picked her up and set her on the bed gently. He groaned to find her working the fastenings of his trousers. "Emily..." he whispered.

"Now," she replied, finding what she was looking for and setting to work with nimble fingers.

Emily's petticoat was in danger of becoming horribly crumpled as Severus searched under her skirts for a specific bit of fabric. He finally found it and removed it. After ridding her of this entanglement, which bore evidence of her eagerness for him, he obeyed her whispered requests.

Emily dug her bare feet into the soft mattress of the bed and moved against her husband with great abandon. He tried to be more gentle, but she persisted and suddenly he felt the same desperate intensity and moved as fiercely as she did. Without warning she was beyond herself, waiting for the pieces to replace themselves and he was clutching her to him, whispering incoherent endearments into her ear. Then all was quiet. The petticoat was crumpled beyond redemption.

Severus rolled over onto his back and waited for speech to be possible again. "Surely some of your bones are broken."

Emily shook her head. "You say that every time we make love so passionately."

"I fear it every time we make love so passionately. Whatever came over you?"

"I had to have you, all of you, right then. You don't realize how many times I dreamed of doing this very thing with you in this very room."

"Did you think to use a silencing charm or will Argus Filch stop by to investigate your screams?"

"I didn't scream," she said, and then sat up in a flurry of taffeta and lace. "Did I?"

"Just twice." Severus took her hand and kissed the palm of it, sliding his tongue between his lips for a quick lick. Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"It just comes all over me, Severus, that I need to have you desperately. You are so intense, sometimes. If we never made love that way, I would feel like I was missing a part of you."

Severus started to unfasten the back of her robe, sliding his hands under the fabric and over her bare shoulders to slide it off and then kissing the skin he exposed. He undressed first her and then himself and caressed her gently, reigniting their desires. He made love to her tenderly and thoroughly this time, and Emily felt as if he was guiding her into the starlight outside the window, where she felt the most exquisite pleasure she had ever known.

Emily fell asleep in her husband's arms, but Severus lay awake, staring at the stars through the window. Much as he enjoyed their more forceful moments, they worried him. Once or twice he had come home aroused after Death Eaters gatherings. Emily had been an enthusiastic, even eager, participant in his lovemaking on those nights, but he couldn't ever reconcile it. Did it indicate a desire for the dark arts? Was she right about it being a part of him? Would he miss such interludes if they never had them?

He recalled the first time Emily had screamed with pleasure and it was long before his experiences with the Death Eaters. It had been during that first day in her apartment. She had caressed him until all he could do was push her onto her back and take her, causing her to scream with the intensity of her passion. He had laughed with delight that anyone could enjoy him so much. When they were finished, he had been worried until she reassured him that he hadn't hurt her.

Perhaps it was just a part of marriage. Perhaps even a woman as gentle and sweet as the one he married enjoyed being rather unladylike from time to time. He knew from the look in her eyes that Emily had enjoyed the moments of sheer bliss that had followed the intense passion, too. Severus cuddled his wife closer and settled himself to sleep, pondering the many moods and facets that made up his Emily and the way that they suited the moods within himself.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! Thank you very much to reviewers allycat1186, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and williammosleysgirl. A special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	31. Intermission

_Disclaimer: As always, this is JKR's creation and I just have just added some OCs and AU storyline._

The Snapes spent several years enjoying a quieter life than they had known when Voldemort was trying to gain power. Emily gave her daughter a preliminary education and assisted Poppy Pomfrey as she was needed. From time to time, she was summoned to help residents in Hogsmeade who needed medical attention. She also helped the student witches who came to her with their various difficulties.

Severus completed his Potions training and became a full-fledged Potions Master. He took over the Potions curriculum completely the year after Voldemort was killed. By adjusting the master syllabus slightly and tightening expectations he was able to produce young wizards and witches who had some competency even if they stopped the discipline after the O.W.L.s levels. His work was published in several periodicals and he began to get a reputation for his research. His N.E.W.T.s students were highly valued in the professional world.

As Head of Slytherin House Severus gained a reputation of overall fairness and high discipline. His students frequently plotted mischief as they learned their craft and developed the attributes of their house. As they were caught, they were punished to the extent of their misdeeds. Since he was as harsh as necessary with the young members of his own House, Severus was ruthless toward members of other houses when he caught them, too.

Professor Snape came to be known as a scourge of the hallways, especially at night. He had a tendency of suddenly appearing in places where students ought not to be, and he had perfect recall of the detentions he issued. Many students caught snogging in the hallways thought their detentions were entirely unfair under the circumstances. It was clear to many of them that they were caught as the Potions Master was bringing his own wife to make romantic use of certain spots around the castle. They dared not complain, however, as the demeanor of the Potions Master was unyielding.

Gryffindor House became complicated. His experiences with one family seemed to exemplify the spiraling nature of the situation. In the year following Voldemort's demise the first son entered Hogwarts. He was a serious young man with red hair and a respectful demeanor. He had an adventurous streak that landed him in detention once or twice, but was no more mischievous than any of his classmates. A serious student, he seemed destined to excel in all of his subjects. Professor Snape could work with a student like that from any house.

His younger brother arrived two years later and was a bit more fun-loving. With the younger brother's instigation, Gryffindor house got into more intricate schemes and trouble. It was nothing Professor Snape could not handle, having seem the Marauders at first hand, but it was the beginning of a disturbing trend.

The third brother, who arrived five years after the first, was in some ways the worst of the bunch. He was not a trouble maker, but he did spend an inordinate amount of the professors' time in trying to find ways to improve his grades and his overall standing and reputation among the staff. Professor Snape didn't mind his obsequiousness, however there was definitely a time for a professor to help students and a different time for a man to spend an evening making love to his wife. This brother didn't understand the difference and would knock on a professor's door whenever a question occurred to him.

It was when the twins arrived, the year after the oldest brother finished his education and while the second one was a Prefect, that Professor Snape started suggesting to the Headmaster that perhaps Hogwarts didn't need a Gryffindor House. Quite precocious, the twins found several ways to leave the castle without using the doors, and seldom walked through a hallway without leaving a Dungbomb behind. Perhaps the most talented wizards of the family, the two squandered their intelligence on running scams rather than working on their studies. They seemed particularly fond of pranking Slytherin students and their Head of House as well. They encouraged their classmates in Gryffindor to do the same. They never formed a circle to compare to the Marauders, but they were just as destructive and prone to be found in detention.

The Gryffindors had indeed adopted Professor Snape as their personal nemesis. When he pointed out the problem to the Headmaster, he usually got an indulgent look. The House Head, Professor McGonagall, would punish the perpetrators, but somehow her punishments did not deter them from the next scheme. Severus took consolation in the fact that Gryffindor was so busy getting into trouble that Slytherin regularly won both the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup during those years.

Although frustrating at times, this rivalry was an occasionally enjoyable way for the Potions Master to keep his Defense skills fresh. He never knew when he would need to turn around and diffuse fireworks or protect a younger student from a hex cast by an older one. Many times he would go to bed at night, put his arms around his wife, and ponder with contentment a job well done because he had prevented the school from being burned to the ground or because he had quickly released an entire classroom full of second years from a crying jinx.

Hope Snape grew from babyhood to girlhood under the watchful eyes of the Hogwarts staff and several hundred students. She was a striking child with curly black hair, dark blue eyes and a lovely face. The fact that her nose was definitely an odd shape tended to bring one's eye back for another look, after which the beholder usually decided that she was quite attractive. The Headmaster in particular seemed to enjoy staring into the blue eyes of the girl, remembering another blue eyed young girl of high spirit who was lost to the Wizarding world far too soon.

As the child of both her parents, Hope was quiet and studious. As the child of her father, she could be depended upon to defend herself quickly and ruthlessly, long before she was given her first wand. It became necessary, when she was still quite a little girl, to keep her away from mischievous students, for the students' safety. As the child of her mother, she was generally easygoing but occasionally quite willful, developing a knack for bending others to her will. Fortunately the mother had an even more formidable will and knew when to curb her daughter.

Emily realized with the passing years that she would soon be left without occupation when Hope officially became a student at Hogwarts. She had cherished a dream for several years and then given up on it. She knew there were many years before she would be too old for this dream so she decided not to drag her marriage through the abyss of fretting over what may or may not happen. As time went on, Severus had too much to worry about as it was.

Albus was starting to approach each school year with heightened expectations and as Hope's entrance year approached he seemed to be particularly excited. The staff were having a time keeping up with him as he went over every preparation for that school year, again and again. Emily knew it was due to a future classmate of Hope's that this excitement was growing and the scowls on her husband's face grew more entrenched. She spent her evenings kissing and smoothing away the wrinkles as well as she could and was usually repaid for her efforts by a night with the Severus she had always known.

After talking it over with her family, Emily decided that she would return full time to St. Mungo's when Hope went to school. Due to her work at Hogwarts and in Hogsmeade, she was accepted with full accreditation as a member of the staff. Headmaster Dumbledore arranged for the Floo connection between the Potions Master's quarters and the hospital to be re-established. While the family was vacationing at the home of Emily's mother Margo, Emily began working some shifts.

_A/N: I wimped out a bit by condensing the next ten years into a single chapter. I'm eager to get to first year. Thank you wonderful reveiwers: debjunk, allycat1186, excessivelyperky, and williammosleysgirl. As always, much credit goes to Mark Darcy, my beta reader._


	32. First Year Begins

_Disclaimer:  This world and its characters were created by JK Rowling.  In particular, the chapters from here on will depend heavily upon the storyline in canon.  In particular, much of what happens in this chapter draws upon Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone._

Severus moved back to Hogwarts a few weeks before school started.  He left Emily and Hope at Margo's house.  It was too soon for students to be at the school and Emily was already working evening shifts at the hospital.  This gave Emily and her daughter a chance to shop for school clothes and supplies.

Emily had a couple of evenings off and went to Hogwarts to surprise Severus.  She suspected that Margo would spoil her granddaughter horribly, but she was eager to see her husband after several days without him.  She knew he wouldn't mind, as he complained that it was as difficult as ever to sleep without her in his bed.

She Apparated to Hogsmeade and walked to the school.  As she went around a corner in the dungeons a voice behind her said, "You're as lovely as ever, Mrs. Snape.  I was sorry that our time together was cut short.  We shall have to renew our acquaintance this year." 

The voice made a shiver go down her back and yet affected her body strangely.  She could almost see a spidery hand reaching out to touch her.  She felt violated and somehow roused at the same time.  She stopped and turned, her gaze falling upon Professor Quirrell, who had just returned to the school after a sabbatical.  He looked somewhat odd with a turban on his head, yet it also seemed to suit him.

"Hello, Quirinus.  Did you say something?"

"Oh, n-no, Emily.  I was j-just t-t-taking a sh-short cut."

Severus must have heard them speaking because he looked out the door of his dungeon classroom.  Seeing his wife, he sped out the door and snatched her into his arms.  "How is it possible that you are here?"

Emily looked up and smiled, answering, "I have a couple of nights off and left the two Margos to spoil each other."

"A dangerous proposition, that."  He set her back on her feet and walked her toward their quarters.

"I'll risk it," Emily said, casting a glance at the other Professor in the hallway.  He had an odd smirk on his face as he continued away and was adjusting the back of his turban with trembling fingers.  "So Quirinus is back?"

"He has Defense, if you can believe it.  More frightened and scattered than ever and he is teaching Defense.  How did you come upon him?"

"It was so odd.  He came up behind me so quietly and I heard a voice.  It affected me quite the same way as the Dark Lord did at that dinner party.  I turned and it was just him.  He couldn't have spoken to me in that way, the voice sounded so self assured, and didn't stutter."

"It definitely wasn't Quirrell, then."

"So what did I hear?"

"I couldn't guess.  Perhaps a ghost, or one of the portraits?  Some of the headmasters have been sneaking down here lately for reasons I'm not sure I understand."

"I suppose that could be it."

"Quirrell is more jittery than ever.  Why Dumbledore picks fools like that, when I could teach the class and actually prepare those students for the troubles ahead, is beyond me."

"He's doing it for my sake, Severus.  When is the last time a Defense teacher came through the school year without being killed or maimed?"

In response he kissed her.

"So how are the class lists shaping up?" she asked.

"Well, as you know, there is a young Snape entering the school this year, as well as a Malfoy, and a Macmillan--"

"He's a sort of cousin on my mother's side.  He'll be Hufflepuff."

"Yes, and assorted others...yet another Weasley...and Harry Potter."

"So Lily and James's son is coming to Hogwarts."

"Hagrid had quite a time getting to him, from what I hear.  Petunia must be as awful as ever.  If she married that brute, even worse, because he was a horrible person."

"So, will it be all right?"  Emily looked into Severus's eyes with concern.

"If he looks like Lily, I might survive it.  If he looks like James, I'm not sure how I'll handle it."

Emily put her hands on the sides of her husband's face and kissed him.  "The Marauders were awful to you, but you are the one who survived.  Two are dead, one is in prison, and I'm not sure what happened to the last one.  I'm sure you can rise above it."

"You've always had more faith in me than I have in myself, Emily."

"And I've always been right.  So are you going to talk me to death when we have all of this lovely time together, or are you going to make proper use of it?"

"Emily, you were the one that asked about the students."

She shrugged.  "I asked.  You answered.  I'm changing the subject."

* * *

Emily had a chance to see Harry Potter for herself a few days later.  Since she was working evenings, she had the chance to take Hope, or Margo, as she preferred to be called as a student, to King's Cross.  She saw Hope—Margo—onto the train with her baggage and let out a sigh somewhere between relief and sadness at the passage of time.  Her daughter got right on the train without a backward glance. 

Emily cast a look around and saw a dark haired boy who looked a little lost.  She was struck at how much he looked like James Potter at exactly the same age.  Then the boy looked at her for a second and she couldn't believe how her impression of him changed.  When she saw his eyes it was as though Lily Evans was looking out of them.

She was on the point of speaking with him, for the sake of her relationship with Lily, when another mother came up to him and took him over.  Emily recognized Molly Weasley, who no doubt had much more experience with little boys of that age.  It was just as well.  Until she knew how Severus would react to the young Potter, she should leave things alone.

* * *

Thirteen hours after she kissed her daughter good-bye at King's Cross Station,  Emily Snape stepped out of the fireplace in the family's sitting room at Hogwarts.  Severus was pacing in the bedroom, wearing a dressing gown that hadn't been fastened very well. 

"He looks exactly like Potter!  Except those are Lily's eyes."

"How did Sorting come out?"

"You were right about your young cousin.  He went to Hufflepuff."

"My mother was the first non-Hufflepuff in the family in a hundred years.  They almost scratched her off the family record over it.  I was the second."  Emily took off her robe and kicked off her shoes.

"Well, there's a third now."

"So if she's not Hufflepuff, where did she Sort?"

"There's yet another Weasley in Gryffindor."

"Am I supposed to be surprised about that?  Severus Snape, if you don't tell me what happened to my daughter..." She pulled her blouse out of the waistband of her skirt and started to unbutton it.

"Young Malfoy is in Slytherin.  I managed to look pleased."

"Where's Hope?" She unfastened the skirt and let it fall to the floor as Severus watched appreciatively.

"And of course Potter went to the house of his parents."

Emily pushed Severus onto the bed and settled herself on his lap, straddling him.  She kissed him and wriggled until she could feel that she had his full attention.  "Where is my daughter, tonight, Severus Snape?  Do I have to leave you and the delights of our marriage bed to search the first year dorms of three houses?"

The huntress became the prey as Severus tipped her over on to her back and began caressing her.  "Slytherin.  Our daughter, _my _daughter, has Sorted into Slytherin House."

Emily pushed his hair out of his face and looked into his triumphant eyes.  "There.  Was that so hard?"

He punctuated his rather off color answer with his hands and body and it was lost in the shriek of laughter that came from her.

* * *

"I already hate the way Young Malfoy looks at her." 

It was a much calmer moment and Severus was tracing the light of a single candle on Emily's shoulders as he described Hope's—Margo's, they reminded themselves—first evening at Hogwarts as a student.  They were still entwined together and already he could feel the stirrings of passion rising again.  He would be exhausted at class time the following morning.  He found that he didn't mind.

"I've taught her some jinxes she can use when she needs to establish boundaries.  They worked for me."

"You had to use them on Black?"

"Occasionally I had to use one in my apartment.  I was saving myself." 

It was amazing that she could still blush, after twelve years of marriage and after the way she had behaved with him this very night.  He knew just for whom she had been saving herself.  The passion moved closer.  His fingers followed where the candlelight took them.

"Have you ever had to use them on me?"  He didn't think so, but he wanted to know.

"I don't need boundaries with you."  There was no blush now as she looked at him with intensity.

The passion was fully upon him.  He kissed her and she offered encouragement.  They took their time, murmuring endearments and offering each other gentle caresses to start until the fires consumed them.

_A/N:  Thank you for sticking with me through this story.  Thank you especially for your kind reviews, debjunk, williammoseleysgirl, excessivelyperky, and angstycryingbaby47.  I have also benefited greatly from the suggestions of beta reader Mark Darcy._


	33. Potions and Hexes

_Disclaimer: The world and characters here are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter in particular, draws heavily upon events in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone._

Emily watched her husband over a private dinner on Friday night. Hope—rather Margo's—first Potions class had been that day and the new student's mother wondered how it had gone. However, since Slytherin and Gryffindor had Potions together, it was also Severus's first experience with Harry Potter.

"I saw his face and it was as if I was eleven years old, again, Emily. There I was, defenseless against that bully. Part of me is surprised I didn't take out my wand and hex him into next week so he couldn't hurt me first, but then he looked at me and it was _Lily_ looking at me. I was still eleven years old again, basking in that puppy love."

Emily put out her hand and touched his, which was cold. She looked sympathetically into his eyes, remembering those days of first year, when Severus had learned to beware of Potter and his friends. She tried to remember what worked to calm him down in those days and realized that it had been Lily, who occasionally had studied with both of them from time to time before she developed her Gryffindor pride. Lily was the one who reminded Severus that James and Sirius were awful and only important to themselves.

"I don't think I can like him, Emily. It's just too wrong to see _her_ looking out of _his_ face. The boy seems to be like his father, too, always showing off and pleased with his own notoriety. I'm going to ask Dumbledore to find someone else to keep an eye on him."

Emily didn't think she could say anything. She desperately wanted news of how her daughter was doing in classes but Severus didn't seem able to discuss it right then. Loyalty to her husband won over motherly curiosity and she simply held his hands and listened.

They sat on the couch together. Severus leaned against his wife's shoulder and remembered the pranks that four first year Gryffindors played upon one lonely Slytherin. A fair number of them were well known to her, either having happened right in front of her or being discussed widely after the fact. One or two were new to her. He had been so hurt and embarrassed by them that he had told no one they had happened. It seemed that if a certain Slytherin prefect hadn't stepped in as often as he had, Severus Snape might not have survived his first year at Hogwarts. Emily ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head with tears in her eyes.

Emily thought that Severus had gone to sleep when he suddenly said, "I haven't given you a chance to ask me how young Snape did at her first Potions class." He sat up and smiled upon the mother of his child with fatherly pride. "I can tell you with a sense of gratification, madam, that young Snape comported herself admirably. Her first potion as a student at Hogwarts was just right. She was a credit to her House and a credit to her family. I couldn't resist the urge to ruffle those curls as she walked past me out the door, either, and earned a very dirty look for it. I miss having her with us in the evening."

"So do I," said Emily quietly. "Something seems to be missing, but this is how it is supposed to be, I guess."

"We'll just have to find a way to pass the time," said Severus with a playful smirk.

* * *

Margo Snape had a shadow. Whenever she went to class, it seemed that Draco Malfoy was always behind or next to her. If she went to the common room, he always sat next to her, preventing any other students from becoming her friend. She had been very careful to instruct Daddy and Mum on how to keep their distance and so far it had been mostly good, but this Malfoy boy wouldn't leave her alone. Despite her most pointed comments he seemed to get bolder and bolder in his pursuit.

A couple of weeks into the school year they walked out of Charms class and he put his arm around her. "Hey, Sweet Thing, why don't we go look for abandoned class rooms?"

Margo had had enough. "GET. YOUR _DISGUSTING_ HANDS. OFF. OF. ME," she hissed.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Come on, my hands aren't—" Hearing snickers from Crabbe and Goyle, he looked down and realized that they were covered with oozing sores. He stopped walking and screamed.

No one had seen Margo take out her wand, but they all saw it now in her clenched fist and knew what she must have done with it. Freed of her encumbrance, she tossed her hair and kept walking toward Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick came out of his classroom and looked at Draco's hands.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, you've been hit by an interesting hex." He looked at the hands carefully. "I haven't seen it since..." He looked and saw the little back just turning down the next hallway and snorted back a laugh. "Well, you go up and see Madam Pomfrey. She'll set it right. In the future I would suggest not making unwanted advances?"

* * *

The letter came almost immediately from Malfoy Manor, complaining that a professor's daughter was receiving preferential treatment. It demanded that she be disciplined and that an example be set. The Headmaster summoned the girl's parents to his office and showed them the letter, his eyes twinkling.

Emily started to seethe. "That woman tried to sell me as if she were the madam of a whorehouse, and now she complains when my daughter doesn't want to be manhandled by her son, who, it would seem, is behaving exactly like his father?" She took a breath in order to continue, but Dumbledore slid his voice in.

"Emily, it may all be as you say, but there are other sides to this to consider. The Malfoys are quite powerful in the Ministry and on the Board of Governors here at Hogwarts. They hold some sway at St. Mungo's, too. At such time as Voldemort comes back, we need Severus, here, to be on friendly terms with the Malfoys. And finally, there is the angle of a certain professor complaining about preferential treatment that another student may or may not be receiving. How does it look for that professor to make complaints when his own daughter appears to be receiving preferential treatment?"

Emily folded her arms, crossed her legs, and bounced her foot in annoyance as she looked over at her husband. Severus scowled, knowing he was trapped by his own demands. He sighed. "It would appear to be a House matter, so as the Head of Slytherin, I shall look into the matter and deal with it. Snape will receive a detention, as will Malfoy, if while questioning witnesses I discover he somehow caused the incident."

"Excellent. I shall send a response to Narcissa immediately."

Emily's eyes narrowed while the Headmaster's twinkled. "Albus, he won't leave her alone. Are we supposed to let him rape her?"

"I think she will find more subtle ways to discourage his advances before that is a concern, my dear. He can't be any harder to hold off than Mr. Black was. And just how did you escape detention when you used that hex on your cousin?"

Severus looked up in surprise. "You used that hex on Stevie MacMillan?"

Emily waved her hand dismissively. "It was fourth year and he was presuming on the family relationship. There weren't any witnesses."

* * *

In gathering the evidence of the first year Slytherins, the House Head found that there was more than enough evidence to indict both young Malfoy and young Snape. During the beginning of the detention, the students scrubbed cauldrons quietly, though a certain young lady did send him scowls that rivaled anything Professor Snape had seen in a mirror. It was hard not to laugh and the professor had to look a great many things up in reference books in order to keep his smiles from becoming visible.

After a while the boy started whispering things to the girl and the professor could not ignore what was being said. "Your father's a teacher and your mother's a Healer. They're practically in _trade_."

"My father is a Potions Master, thank you, and both my parents are brilliant. They do honest work for honest pay. There's nothing wrong with that. What does your family do?"

"You need to make good contacts in order to get in with the right people, though."

"Oh, yeah? Who would that be?"

"Like me, Sweet Thing. I can get you into the right groups."

"I don't want to be part of any group that involves you."

"No? Your parents have been at dinner parties at my house. My dad said--"

"Malfoy!" Professor Snape was standing over them. "Why don't you come into my office while Miss Snape clears up."

He let the boy precede him into the room. "Mr. Malfoy, it would please me no end if you would leave Miss Snape alone. She's just a child and not worthy of your more _sophisticated_ interests.**"**

"She does something to me, Professor."

"Yes, well, I could use your help with something else. As you may have been told by your parents, Harry Potter was the mortal enemy of the Dark Lord. I would like you to help me keep watch of Potter to see what he is up to. Do you think you can do that?"

"Potter? I hate him. He thinks he's so great."

"Well, then, we have a common interest. Perhaps you should work on this other project instead of wasting your time with a mere child?"

"I'll think about it, Professor."

"See that you do."

The boy left and Severus went to rescue his seething daughter. "Why did you let him leave early?"

"Because I couldn't resist a little time with my Hope," he said, flicking his wand and stacking the cauldrons neatly in their proper corner. "Your mother is worried about you and the Headmaster suggests you use more subtle means of controlling would-be suitors."

"Aren't I 'Miss Snape,' right now, Professor?"

"No, you're my little girl. You have to be more careful around young Malfoy. His mother is a snob and his father is a lecher, and Draco appears to have inherited the worst of both of them. Yet we need to avoid making trouble with them. We have a very comfortable life because they don't hate us." The blue eyes turned a bit less truculent. "Come, give your mother a chance to lavish affection on you and then I'll walk you to the common room." He put his arm around her shoulder in a familiar way and she reached up to hug him.

"I love you, Daddy."

"And I love you, my best of Hopes."

iA/N: I had pondered including bits of that first actual Potions class but decided against it. I decided to let it stand as it happened in the book and then give Snape's impressions after the fact./i


	34. Conversation and Quidditch

_Disclaimer: The world and characters here are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter in particular, draws heavily upon events in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone._

"I don't know why you won't let me take our daughter and go to Spinner's End. Between us we could give her as good an education as Hogwarts."

Emily had come home just in time to treat a bad dog bite on her husband's ankle.

"Now, Emily, you're over reacting, just like dozens of other mothers who are no doubt sending letters to Dumbledore every day."

"First a mountain troll roaming the halls..."

"Hope was perfectly safe with her house mates. No one was hurt, unless you're worried on the troll's behalf," snapped her husband.

"And now there's a three headed dog on the third floor."

"Margo Snape would never disobey authority and go up there."

"Other students have!"

"Gryffindors, Emily, Gryffindors, and we don't even know for sure they were in there. Argus didn't actually see them. Our daughter knows better than to be so foolhardy." He watched as his wife cleaned the wound. "Have a care, Healer Snape, that you don't do more harm than good," he said, watching her twitching fingers apprehensively.

Emily took a deep breath to steady herself and then took out her wand and cast a spell over the ankle, which started to knit as she watched carefully. The spell had a calming effect on her as well as the healing effect it had on her husband. She applied a salve to finish the healing and then bandaged it.

"I'm just so worried about the two of you. The school is so different this year. There's a hostile atmosphere, and I can't be in the same room with Quirinus without wanting to run away screaming. What is it about him?"

"I don't know, but I think Albus has noticed something, too," answered Severus with a tired sigh. "I'm supposed to keep an eye on Quirrell, which is how this happened. He isn't supposed to be up there any more than the students are."

"Did you tell him that I think the Dark Lord is somehow involved?"

"He doesn't disagree. With Nicolas's trinket here, Hogwarts is an obvious target for his attention. Look at that." He flexed his foot. "Good as new. I have the best personal Healer in England." He scooped her into his lap and pulled her close. "When is the last time we shared our bed?"

"Between my shifts and all of the extra patrolling you have been doing? It's hard to say."

"Well then," he said, thinking the rest of the sentence should be obvious.

"Do you have time? Don't you need to guard someone or something tonight?" she asked acerbically.

He kissed her nose. "Don't be waspish. My Emily is never waspish. And for your information, I begged off, tonight, on the grounds that my wife is due for some serious shagging."

She twisted around to look at him better. "You never said that!"

"Sweet torture! Have a care where you are sitting, dear. No, I didn't say that. I just said that I needed the night off. I've arranged for dinner in our sitting room and all the rest is just desperate wanting, Emily." He buried his head in her neck. "I want to make love to you. I want to relearn everything about you that I may have forgotten these past weeks. I want--"

She cut him off with her lips, kissing him ardently. "You know you haven't forgotten a single thing. It's all exactly as you last left it." She kissed him again. "So, what were your plans for me, dinner and then ravishment, or ravishment then dinner?"

"I was going to see how it went. Are you really here, soft and yielding in my arms?" His lips and fingers were acting independently of his thoughts.

"More like willing and eager. Take me to bed, Severus?"

He wasn't waiting to be asked twice. He stood with his wife in his arms and retired to the bedroom. They found to their mutual delight that everything was indeed just as it had been the last time they were together.

* * *

Emily yawned as they went up the stairs into the Quidditch stands. "Eleven in the morning wouldn't be so early if you had let me get a few minutes of sleep last night."

"Hush, dear, I have a reputation to uphold. I'm sure you will have plenty of time to rest during the remainder of the weekend." He pressed her hand meaningfully. She giggled and they worked their way into the section of the stands where the faculty regularly sat.

The game would have been pretty uneventful at the beginning if it were not Gryffindor versus Slytherin, which was always an event for Severus. Emily watched her husband and smiled at his intense gaze. He took in every action. He could see every time the Quaffle was passed, every time the beaters hit a Bludger.

It was chilly day, but good Quidditch weather. It wasn't raining and there wasn't much wind. The temperature warmed up enough to enjoy the game. Emily's only problem was that Professor Quirrell sat in front of them, and his turban seemed to take on human properties. Sometimes Emily thought that she saw two red lights like eyes between the fabric bands that wrapped the professor's head. There was a moment when she had a sensation of fingers moving along her body. She shook it off and held her husband's hand tighter.

Part way through the game, Severus took his hand from hers and put it in his pocket. Emily realized that he had gone all stiff. He was chanting an incantation and watching one particular player. She understood that he was holding his wand in his pocket. She looked at the sky above her as all of the spectators started gasping and groaning. Harry Potter had completely lost control over his broomstick. She realized that Severus was saying a counter-spell to a hex that must be coming from somewhere else in the stands.

This went on for quite some while, when suddenly Professor Quirrell fell over, having been pushed as a couple of students ran down the stairs. Severus kept his eyes on Potter while Emily went to help the professor, who stuttered his thanks and held Emily's hands a bit longer than she would have liked. When she turned back to her husband, she saw that his robe was on fire.

"Severus! Your robe!" She went back up the stairs to help him put it out. There was a roar from the crowd and it seemed that Harry Potter had regained control of his broom and the Golden Snitch was nowhere to be seen. By the time Emily turned to see what was going on with the game, Potter looked almost as if he were ready to vomit. Then he opened his mouth and pulled out the Snitch. The Gryffindor portion of the crowd exploded while the Slytherins groaned and quietly started to file out of the stands.

_A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you very much to reviewers excessivelyperky, debjunk, and williammoseleysgirl. A special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	35. A Day in the Life

_Disclaimer: The characters and world of Harry Potter are the creation and property of JKR._

"You're joking!" Emily was part way through dressing for a shift at the hospital when her husband dropped a bombshell on her. "I thought we were going to Mum's house for Christmas."

"Albus thinks that if an attempt is made it will be during the break, while most of the students aren't here."

"I want to be with you, someplace where you don't have to baby-sit students or that rock. Someplace we can be alone."

"Under the watchful gaze of both your mother and our daughter?"

"Well, sort of alone." She sat on the bed and started buttoning her blouse, getting the buttons in the wrong holes.

"Here, let me help." Severus sat next to her and straightened out her blouse, then handed her the skirt she had laid out.

"I just want to be away from here and feel like we're all safe."

"There's no place safer than Hogwarts, Emily."

"It doesn't feel safe, this year."

"I'm beginning to think that you're developing a thing for Quirrell," said Severus, smiling indulgently.

"Call it whatever you like, but I can't be within six feet of him without feeling somehow violated."

"Has he actually said or done anything?" He bent over to button the top two buttons of Emily's blouse, which she had unbuttoned. "Do you never fasten your blouse properly?"

"No, he's never actually said or done anything, and you don't complain about my buttons at bed time."

"When it's bed time, I'm not sending you out to a world of handsome male Healers and besotted patients who already think you're an angel of mercy." He was wrapping her robe around her and fastening it.

He spoke again, with a soothing tone of voice. "Why don't you arrange to have Hope spend the day with Margo and you could work a shift so that you won't have to come to the ghastly party Dumbledore has doubtless already planned? You won't have to sit so close to Quirinus that way. I'll work it out with Argus that I won't have to patrol the halls all night and we can spend our evening unwrapping each other."

"You do realize that you just used your sexiest voice and my shift starts in six minutes. I'll be horribly distracted at work." Emily grabbed the edges of Severus's shirt in order to pull his lips to her own.

He accepted her kiss and kissed her back. "Maybe we should have Hope spend most of the vacation with her grandmother? You are now down to four minutes."

"I'll be back in twelve hours," Emily promised, running to the fire place and getting a pinch of green powder.

"Give or take," he responded to the dark form as it turned into a puff of smoke.

Professor Snape put on his own robe and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Eleven and three quarter hours later Professor Snape walked back into his sitting room and unfastened his robe. He yanked it off and wadded it up, stepping to the door of the bedroom and throwing the robe at the laundry hamper. He poured himself a drink and sat where he could watch the fireplace.

It had been a horrible day. After spending 30 minutes at breakfast, watching the Gryffindor table stare at him while pretending to be interested in Quirrell's comments about something inane, he had a second year class. The Ravenclaws made acceptable potions, but the Hufflepuffs would surely poison him one day. He spent the following hour sorting through the very few well written homework essays and the pitiful essays the dunderheads had written. He checked on some potions he had in progress and then took a stroll through the castle to check in with Filch. The Caretaker had not seen anything troublesome in the past day and Professor Snape proceeded upon a more thorough check of the hallways.

As usual, he found Quirrell haunting an odd spot. Severus pretended that he had been looking for him and escorted him to the Great Hall for lunch. There he spent another 30 minutes watching the Gryffindor table stare at him while pretending to be interested in Quirrell's chatter.

The reason for the Gryffindor stares became apparent during the third year Potions class he taught that afternoon in which the Weasley twins managed to explode half the cauldrons in the classroom. It appeared that Lee Jordan was also involved, so Professor Snape set them a detention for six thirty that evening. The professor shook his head. There was quite a bit of intricate charm work involved in what the twins had done. If they spent their time learning the course material they would give the Ravenclaws a run for the money.

After the double potions class was over, Professor Snape went out to the greenhouses to chat with Professor Sprout and gather some ingredients he would need. That done, he moved back inside and started reviewing course work for the following day and grading essays from the third year class. By dinner time he was ready to pour the red ink directly from the ink bottle onto the scrolls without bothering to read them nor to actually write any comments. The errors in Potions were hard enough to endure, but what these students did to the English language should be punishable by a stay in Azkaban.

He managed to escape the Defense teacher during dinner but was interrupted to settle a spat at the Slytherin table. Young Snape _would_ get riled whenever certain comments were made about either of her parents. He would have to teach her over the holidays to be quieter and to stay in the background until she was old enough and strong enough to have her revenge. Hope was such an odd combination of her parents. Emily had that same sort of fierce loyalty, but the need to act immediately and definitively was his own.

Checking his watch he saw that it was time to prepare for the detentions he had given. The Weasley twins always posed a challenge. He couldn't have them prepare the plants he had gathered today for use by tomorrow's classes. If they chose to do so properly they would do a very good job, but they were too clever and mischievous for that. Scrubbing desks would have to do. They were particularly filthy after today's class, so it was a fit punishment.

Professor Snape continued to grade the third year essays while the students worked. They managed to transfigure each other's desks into various farmyard animals as they went and the professor was amazed at the level of ability it took, surely far beyond third year. He saw that it was time to end the detention with a sigh of relief, and after making the students clean up the presents left by the animals he dismissed them.

One last look and tweak on the potions simmering away in his private work space and his day was done. He walked to his living quarters knowing that what got him through the day was the knowledge that Emily would be there at the end of it. She would hold him in her arms and listen to his tiresome day and she would comfort him. He sat with his drink and waited for her, knowing that contentment was only a few minutes away.

The face that greeted him as she came out of the fireplace was hollow. He knew what must have happened and mentally cursed. She won. Her day was worse than his, and he would have to comfort her. He fixed her a drink and pulled her next to him on the couch. "Tell me," he said.

She shook her head. "You first. You had a hard day, too, by the look of it."

So Severus told her, all about the tediousness of Quirrell, the weariness of teaching incompetent students, the tiresome papers he had to grade. She chuckled when he described the spat between their daughter and her house mates. As he spoke the day took on its proper perspective in his mind and receded. He could see some life returning to Emily's eyes as he finished. "Now you. Who was it?"

"Oh, it was just a day, I guess. I started by arguing with Auror Dawlish over why he can't take an unconscious patient to the Ministry for full questioning. The man had some pretty tricky curses all over him. Then Arthur Weasley brought in a poor soul who had gotten on the bad side of an enchanted bookcase. My assistant has a failed love affair and I had to listen to several rounds of why wouldn't she be good enough for him..." She trailed off.

He took her glass and put it on a table with his own. "That's not what makes you look like this. Who was it?"

It would be insulting to pretend that either did not know exactly what they were talking about. He'd seen her in this mood a handful of times in the past ten years as she had assisted families in Hogsmeade. "Betsy Simmons. Since I had helped her when the Death Eaters injured her so many years ago she insisted that I act as her midwife. The baby was round and loud and perfect and I feel so evil for wishing that she was mine instead of Betsy's. It just doesn't seem fair, Severus. To lose Marcus and then all these years... You should have sons, who would be as smart and as strong as you are."

"And they would be expected to become Death Eaters whenever the Dark Lord returns." He began unfastening her robe with the same gentle efficiency he had used to fasten it that morning. He kissed her and put his mouth next to her ear. "Emily, I'm sorry for the pain this brings you. You know I greatly desire to have more children with you, whenever they happen to come. If fate determines that we be as we are now for a while longer, I am happy for that, too.

He held her and she clung to him and they comforted each other. Neither had a good day but somehow in sharing it they both felt better. He pulled her into his lap, removing her robe as he did so, and they sat for quite some time before he spoke again.

"How is it, my love, that some of the buttons on your blouse are undone again?"

She let out half a giggle. "It was too constricting when I was dealing with the bookcase patient."

"I love that you choose comfort at such times. It's so practical and so much my Emily."

"And I love that you button all the way up, without skipping any steps, and always make sure that the job is done right."

They sat for a while longer until Severus could tell that Emily had dozed off. He carried her into the bedroom and set her on the bed, removing her shoes. He should wake her so that she could change to a nightgown. "Emily," he whispered, and then more loudly said it. "Emily." She opened her eyes and smiled as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You can't use the voice you used with me this morning and then think you're going to get out of it tonight. It's all that kept me going today." Emily's voice could be quite provocative, too.

"Well, in that case," murmured Severus, kissing her as he unbuttoned the rest of her blouse.

The next few minutes was a flurry of clothing being removed while their lips never stopped touching. After that it was caressing and kissing as their bodies made good on the promises made that morning. The day and its troubles receded further away as they came closer together. They fell asleep that night knowing that they had the solace of their love in the midst of an imperfect world.

_A/N: Thank you for your reviews, excessivelyperky, debjunk, and williammoseleysgirl. Special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	36. Dragons and Other Monsters

_Disclaimer: Most of these characters and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. In particular, the events discussed in this chapter are found in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone._

"Unbelievable!" Severus was pacing in their rooms again. The winter had passed without significant incident. The protections guarding the Philosopher's Stone had held and no attempts had been made on it. The students had managed to do their work and get a little more educated and were in various stages of study for final exams. Now, with the end of the school year upon them, Severus was thinking over something he had heard from Draco Malfoy and talking to his wife.

"I'm telling you, Severus, this has been a very dangerous school year. Now there's a dragon? I love Hagrid and all, but he needs a little more restraint, doesn't he? What of our daughter?" Emily was sitting on the couch, trying not to get upset, and thumbing through a new issue of _Healing Hands Monthly_.

"I'm sure she's safe. I'll ask Filch to keep an eye out for this supposed meeting. If it's true we can have Potter expelled and keep the school that much safer, at least."

"Oh, and then how do you plan to live out your promise to keep the boy safe so he can carry out his destiny, all while teaching here, keeping Hope safe, and staying on the good side of people like Lucius Malfoy?"

"So what do you propose?"

"Find a way to warn Potter to be a bit more careful and circumspect. Don't get him expelled. Life will be easiest for all of us if he's right here where you can keep an eye on him and perhaps train him. Just find a way to get him to be less foolhardy."

Severus walked over to the couch. "When did you become such a Slytherin?"

"Do you have to ask?" Emily looked up from an article on accidental lovage ingestion.

He looked down at her. She was still dressed in her Healer robes and looked efficient and delicious. "There are several incidents that come to mind."

"You might as well start with the day I first saw you in the library and decided we should be study partners," she said. "My plotting days began then. You can think about it when you're discussing other things with Argus. Shouldn't you be doing that now?"

"Hmm, and she even knows how to keep me on task." Severus kissed his wife. "Will you be here when I get back?"

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere," she said. For one thing, as soon as she left their rooms, Quirinus Quirrell would leap out of nowhere and start talking to her.

Severus came back several hours later. Emily had left some lights, but had fallen asleep in the midst of what appeared to be some extremely romantic arrangements. He prepared for bed and doused the trail of candles that led from the door of their apartment to the bedroom. Then he slid into bed and pulled his wife close.

"There you are," said a sleepy voice. "So was there really a dragon?"

"That aspect of the story is unclear. However, Potter, Granger, Longbottom, and Malfoy were all found in one of the towers long after curfew. They have each lost 50 points in house points and will be serving a detention. I've never seen Minerva McGonagall so deliciously furious. Argus is salivating over the various tasks to which he can set them."

"Longbottom? That sounds exactly like Frank, but not like the hapless creature you've described all year."

"The boy bears watching. Perhaps he just needs to get away from his grandmother, who, I hear, is a proper dragon herself."

"That woman comes to the hospital every day to visit her son and daughter-in-law."

"I don't doubt her many excellent virtues, but truly, Emily, I was hoping to explore some of your excellent virtues."

"Were there any in particular that interest you?"

"Maybe I should just see what I can find?"

Emily moved her lips close to his, "You shouldn't have to look too hard."

* * *

The detention was carried out in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid and the children discovered a dead unicorn. The unicorn had been killed. This was a crime so heinous that the adults on staff were aghast. To the Headmaster, who discussed it with Severus, it proved that Voldemort was on the grounds of the school. The Dark Lord must be close to death at all times without his body and in some ways worse than dead. Young Potter had mentioned seeing some creature drinking the blood of the unicorn, which would keep that creature alive but at a terrible cost to his soul. Dumbledore speculated that a soul capable of committing as much evil as Voldemort had done was unlikely to feel further damage at this point.

Other than using the Floo to get to St. Mungo's for work, Emily didn't leave her rooms without Severus these days. She didn't want to meet Voldemort unawares and she felt as though Quirrell was always near her. Meals in the Great Hall should have been a delightful time to speak with the professors and catch a glimpse of her daughter, but she felt as though Quirrell was always staring at her. If she chanced outside the dungeons it seemed as though Quirrell was waiting for her. She always had the sense of something touching her when she was near him, so she took steps to avoid that circumstance. She felt guilty for hoping that the Defense Against the Dark Arts hex would prevent him from returning in the future.

One afternoon Emily was leaving work early to celebrate the end of exams with Hope and Severus. She went to use the Floo but found that it was out of order. Someone had tried to send a patient and an entire enchanted bicycle through it. Therefore she Apparated to the school gates and walked the rest of the way to the family apartment.

As she reached the bottom of the staircase leading to the dungeons, Quirrell bumped into her and backed her into a wall. "Ah, Emily, Dumbledore has left and won't be back until late. I have plenty of time to get what I need. It will be just a few hours, now. I will return to a proper form and then we can be together. You don't know how I've looked forward to this."

She resisted the sensation but it wouldn't leave her. He was pressed against her, his hands on the wall at either side, but she felt as though other hands were touching her all over. It only took seconds, but it seemed much longer. He released her and ran to the stairs and up them. Emily slid down to the floor but only for a minute. She was horribly exposed in this hallway. There was a place she could go that surely even that horrible man wouldn't find her.

Another man found her, long after dark. After checking at the hospital and looking all through the castle, it occurred to Severus to look for his wife in the library, in the little nook behind the restricted books section. She was sitting there looking much as she had the last time he had found her there.

"What are you doing, Mrs. Snape?"

"It's him, Severus. It looks like Quirrell and most of the time he speaks like Quirrell, but it's _him_."

"We know Quirrell has been working for the Dark Lord all along, but Emily..."

"I don't care what you say, Severus, it's him. Maybe it was Polyjuice, or transforming spells, I don't know. It's him."

"You might say it _was_ him. He lured Potter into the room where the stone was hidden and died. It's unclear exactly what happened, but Quirrell is dead and Potter is unconscious. Hopefully when he wakes, Albus can get a more detailed story from the boy."

"It must have been right after I saw him. He leaned me into a wall and told me we would finally be together. Then he ran up the stairs."

"Emily, you know I hate when you sit on the floor. Come, let's go to our rooms." He took her hands and lifted her up, pulling her out. "You're chilled straight through," he said, putting an arm around her and walking her through the library. "Let's get you into a warm bath and give you some brandy, maybe something to eat..."

"What about Hope? We were supposed to celebrate the end of the school year."

"She's in the common room. It looks like Slytherin will take both cups again this year, depending on the outcome of Gryffindor-Ravenclaw this weekend. I can't wait to see Minerva at the Feast. She thought they would do so well with Potter, and he's laid up in the hospital wing."

* * *

Harry Potter was sure Professor Snape hated him when he saw the look that professor gave him in the Great Hall during the Feast at the beginning of the school year. He must absolutely loathe Harry. After all, Snape had looked at Harry so hard that his scar hurt. Harry had pressed his hand to his forehead and turned away from the pain.

Had Harry maintained eye contact, he would have seen a look of longing and uncertainty flash across the professor's face. He might also have seen a red gleam within the folds of the turban worn by the professor sitting near Professor Snape. Instead he would carry the combined impression of Professor Snape's dark look and the pain in his forehead as a single event for years, not shaking the impression even after he was shown how false it was by the author of that pain himself.

Harry's friends told him that Snape had been casting the hex that nearly toppled him from his broom during the first Quidditch game. They didn't realize that the professor was merely performing a counter-hex to one being cast by Professor Quirrell. They assumed that the fire caused the hex to stop when in reality bumping Quirrell down accomplished that. Again, even though Voldemort himself told Harry the truth, Harry still believed that Professor Snape was evil.

Headmaster Dumbledore saw all of this and more when he interviewed the boy after he awoke from his ordeal. He discussed it with Professor Snape. The two decided to adopt this aversion the boy had as the best means of Snape keeping an eye on Harry Potter without causing the sort of comment that would give away the professor's true allegiances. This suited Severus fine as he could not see himself developing a relationship other than animosity with the boy.

* * *

Professor Snape's gloating over winning the House Cup was short lived. In a speech the head of Slytherin found to be a bit high-handed, the Headmaster awarded enough points to move Gryffindor from the bottom of the house standings to the very top. He had to begrudgingly admit that the points awarded to Granger were appropriate. He had devised a very complicated riddle for the potions trap guarding the stone and having it solved by a first year showed remarkable skill in the child. He wasn't so sure about the points awarded to Potter and Weasley. The points awarded to Longbottom for standing up to the other three were perhaps a bit low. The worst part of the End-of-Term Feast was having to shake McGonagall's hand as if it was just fun.

The Head of Slytherin had to content himself with just the Quidditch Cup this year. He carried it to the dungeons and placed it in its home in his study. After straightening a few loose papers and grimacing at the pile of O.W.L.s paperwork he would have to attack soon, he wandered down to where his wife was packing for the summer. The Snape family would split the summer break between Severus's house on Spinner's End and visiting Margo in her London home. If Emily was successful in persuading her husband, they would get a week at a beach resort, too.

"Can't leave soon enough?" asked Severus.

"Mum will meet Hope at Kings Cross, but we're expected to be there for dinner tomorrow night. Then it's off for some family time. I can't wait for it to be just the three of us with no possessed professors, trolls, three headed dogs, or anything else I have to worry about."

"It wasn't so bad."

"It was pretty awful, and you know it. When did we ever have a year like that, since the time we were students?"

"It would appear that the Dark Lord is trying to rise back up. That makes for extenuating circumstances."

Emily sat down on the bed. "Why couldn't he just be dead and stay that way?"

"Dumbledore tells me that you know the answer to that as well as anyone else."

"I really know nothing at all." This was partially true. Emily knew it had to do with Harry Potter and the night his parents were killed but didn't bother to unravel the rest of the allusions the Headmaster had made. He made her promise to examine the boy again at such time as Voldemort was believed to be finally gone, and she had promised, but she shrank from too much knowledge.

"Do we really have to go to a beach resort, Emily?"

"I need to see some color in my daughter's cheeks. She's been so isolated and forlorn here. She's repulsed by her house mates but doesn't feel comfortable making friendships outside of Slytherin. I wish the hat could have picked Ravenclaw."

"It's just as well she's in Slytherin. Some day there may be expectations..."

"Does everything in our life have to be with an eye to what may happen in ten years? Is this what it means to be married to a Slytherin?"

"I could show you what it means to be married to a Slytherin, if you can spare the time."

Emily shivered at the sound of his voice and looked around the room. "I think the rest can wait until tomorrow morning."

Severus took that as his opening and dashed across the room. Just as he reached her, his wife said, "This doesn't mean the beach question is over. We're going."

"Do I have to watch men ogle you in a bikini?"

"I think my two-piece days may be over. You could always do some of the ogling yourself," she replied.

A demonstration of sorts proceeded.

_A/N: Thank you reveiwers excessivelyperky, debjunk, and williammoseleysgirl. A special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy. Thanks, everyone who has read. Feel free to try out that new review button and tell me what you think!_


	37. New Year, New Faces

_Disclaimer: Except for some OC's, the characters and world of this story are the creation of JK Rowling. This chapter, in particular, draws heavily from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._

* * *

_HELD OVER!_

GILDEROY LOCKHART  
will be signing copies of his autobiography  
_MAGICAL ME  
_today 12:30 P.M. To 4:30 P.M.

"They must be kidding," muttered Professor Snape as he guided his womenfolk into Flourish and Blotts bookstore.

"Not in the least, there he is," said Emily, pointing over at the table where the author was seated, surrounded by swooning fans.

"Let's just get through the list and get out of here," growled Severus.

"Please can't I get him to sign one of my books, Daddy, please?"

"...and there is one of my soon-to-be-colleagues, Professor Severus Snape!" Lockhart came to shake the scowling professor's hand, cameras clicking all the while.

Gilderoy saw Hope and asked, "Is this your daughter? She's a student? She needs signed copies of all my books for her Defense classes!" He pulled them over to the table and proceeded to sign the pile of books he had assigned for his classes and stack them into the girl's arms. When he was done, he kissed the cheek of the girl, to the delight of the photographers and to her father's annoyance. As far as Severus was concerned they couldn't get out of the store fast enough.

"Finally!" the father groused as he led his wife and daughter away from the book shop. "I don't know how we will survive the coming year."

"He seems harmless enough," commented Emily cheerfully.

"He hasn't a clue about his subject and he's going to get someone seriously injured. That's not harmless." He looked at the dreamy-eyed pre-teen walking between them. "And then there's the effect he seems to have on females."

"Not this female," laughed Emily. "He's not my type at all. I hope you weren't planning on getting rid of me that easily."

Severus's scowl became a little less fixed on his face as the small family headed for their next stop, the apothecary. There they replenished Hope's supplies for Potions class, and Professor Snape made some orders on behalf of the school and for his private research. They ran into Augusta Longbottom and her grandson, petrifying the lad. The two witches chatted for a few minutes and the Professor, while making his order, noticed something from the corner of his eye. He mentioned it to his daughter after they left the shop.

"Hope, I think I have solved a mystery."

"What is it, Daddy?"

"I think I know, now, how it was that Young Longbottom did so well on his Potions Final Exam. I had expected him to fail utterly, yet there were things he answered correctly that he could not tell me all year. He had some special coaching, didn't he? I didn't realize you and he were such friends."

"He's not as stupid as he seems, Daddy, and he knows O.W.L.s level stuff about Herbology and the plant parts of Potions. We just studied together once or twice in the library, when we happened to be there at the same time."

The parents exchanged a glance over the top of their daughter's head. The twinkle in Emily's eye caused her husband's face to become less severe. "Surely you don't think..." began Severus, quietly. Emily just shrugged.

"Well, Little Girl, I would advise you to be very circumspect in your dealings with any Gryffindor. Your house mates will not look kindly on something that looks like a friendship between you."

The family wound up their trip with a stop at Florean Fortescue's, the daughter promising that the treat wouldn't ruin her dinner. After a shopping expedition that ended more pleasantly than it began, they went to the Leaky Cauldron to Floo over to Margo's terraced house, where they were staying until the term began.

* * *

Apparently one of the photographers at the book store worked for the _Daily Prophet_, because the **Personalities** page of the paper had a picture of Hope holding the books Gilderoy Lockhart gave her as Lockhart kissed her cheek. Severus was seen in the background of the picture with a scowl on his face and arms folded.

"_Young Margo Snape learns with delight that her hero, Gilderoy Lockhart, will be her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. Margo's father, Professor Severus Snape, who is Potions Master at Hogwarts, looks on. Lockhart graciously continued his book signing for an extra day after being interrupted on the previous day by an altercation at Flourish and Blotts (see page 6),"_ read the caption.

Severus scowled at the picture and set it aside while Hope squealed to see a picture of herself in the paper. Emily, who had somehow managed to avoid being in the shot, smiled and offered her husband some more toast. With luck it would all blow over soon, and they would get back to the school and a normal life.

Emily had not accounted for Lockhart's popularity. It seemed during her weekend shifts that every patient was looking at that picture, comparing Gilderoy Lockhart to her husband. Healer Snape had great difficulty maintaining a professional attitude in the face of some comments. By the time she was coming to the waiting room to deal with a bachelorette party that had run across some bad Love Potion, she was ready to hex someone.

"What a comparison! The one is everything handsome, and the other is so...not." Emily had to make allowances that not everyone would find her husband to be as dear as she did.

"You remember from school, though. Sometimes Snape was pretty hot." Severus and Emily often shared a laugh over the eyes some of the sixth and seventh year girls made at him.

"In the dark, maybe." Emily's eyes narrowed.

"Look at his daughter. Pretty girl, but to be stuck with that nose. I would demand a charm to adjust it." Emily had always admired Hope's nose, thinking it gave her face a distinctiveness that her own lacked

"I didn't know he had a daughter. How could he have a daughter?" Severus had worked to keep his family out of plain sight. It seemed that it was working.

"Someone shagged him enough to get knocked up, obviously." That one made Emily wince. She silently but desperately wanted to get pregnant again, and was certain that Severus felt the same way. It seemed impossible that lack of lovemaking was the problem. Then, too, they had conceived Hope the very first time they had come together. This comment was completely off base, but it still hurt.

"He must have a wife, then." Obviously.

"I wonder who would marry the greasy git and then have a kid with him?"

"That would be me," said the Healer, coolly. The girls looked up at her in shock and embarrassment. "Yes, ladies, I am Healer Snape. If you're finished discussing my romantic life, I believe you have some side effects from a bad Love Potion to deal with?"

Emily looked at her clipboard as the young women looked up and gaped. "Perhaps we can start with Miss Gibbons. I understand your nose has turned an unfortunate color?" Emily looked at the girl. "Ah, I see. You wouldn't want to go to a wedding with a green nose, dear. It would upset the color arrangements, no doubt. Brides hate that sort of thing when they haven't planned for it. Come along, then."

_A/N: Thanks, readers! I know by the hit counts that there are quite a few of you. Thank you to reviewers debjunk, excessivelyperky, williammoseleysgirl and angstycryingbaby47 (whose thoughts on POV will hopefully be fulfilled, soon). A special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	38. Inauspicious Beginning

_Disclaimer: except for my OCs, these characters and their world are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter includes events from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._

The start of the school year was a bit trying for Professor Snape. It started when the students came into the Great Hall and all of the girls looked over at the professor sitting unfortunately close to him. The new Defense professor sat proudly, tossing his golden curls as he turned this way and that, and waved to his adoring fans, as he saw the students. Some of the girls stared at Professor Lockhart entirely too much and caused a bit of a snarl of bodies in the doorway.

Worst of all Margo Snape, the heretofore intelligent and level-headed girl of Severus's heart, sat at the Slytherin table and craned her neck to see the blond haired fool. It was hard for a father to watch. Last year the same child had winked at him; tonight she barely noticed him.

As the upperclassmen came in and the Sorting started, Professor Snape noticed the absence of Potter and the youngest Weasley boy. He took advantage of the opportunity to excuse himself on the pretext of looking for them. Argus Filch was haunting the hallway and handed Severus a copy of the _Evening_ _Prophet_, gesticulating wildly at the banner headline about a flying car that disturbed Muggles in several towns. The poor man was unable to speak with the excitement of the story. Severus took the paper and promised to read it.

As he walked down the pathway toward the school gates, he heard an odd whining noise coming toward him and turned to look. It was followed by the sound of a car engine sputtering and dying. As he watched, the exact Ford Anglia described in the paper swooped down, narrowly missing the castle wall and finally landing right in the arms of the old Whomping Willow tree.

As Severus watched, the tree or car or both spit out two boys, a corresponding amount of luggage, and an owl. The car zoomed off toward the Forbidden Forest and the boys started tugging their luggage toward the main door of the castle. They were making so much noise that it wasn't difficult to silently follow and catch up to them. He almost laughed when they started discussing his absence from the table in the Great Hall. Having taught angst-ridden teens and preteens since he had barely stopped being a teen himself, he hardly noticed the insults they made about him.

When Professor Snape found his entry into the conversation, he pounced. For once tonight, he smiled in enjoyment at the looks that students were giving a professor. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were looking at him in fear. He really should bring them to the office of Dumbledore or McGonagall, but they would be more frightened and uncomfortable in his own office. He took them there and then left to get the Headmaster and the Gryffindor House Head.

From there the evening had gone down hill. Dumbledore had refused to expel the boys and McGonagall would no doubt give meaningless detentions, just as had been given to Potter's father and his friends time after time. No points were deducted from Gryffindor as the term hadn't started. No Slytherin satisfaction was to be found there. Severus was forced to return to the Feast by the Headmaster, where he briefly had a ray of sunshine in the look his daughter gave him, showing that she had missed him and was glad to see him. Then that was dashed when she quickly shifted her attention back to Lockhart.

Severus made his way to the rooms he usually shared with Emily. There was no soft ear to hear his troubles, no soft body to curl up with when he got to his rooms that night. The blasted hospital had scheduled her so diabolically that she was only able to sleep for short spans of time this week and she had decided to stay at her mum's house until this rotation was over. It made the most sense, but it was hard on a man who never could sleep very well without the presence of his wife. He decided to take a long patrol around the castle and finish off with a stiff drink. It would work as well as anything else.

The rest of the week followed the pattern established that first night. On his very first day of classes, Lockhart managed to destroy his classroom by setting Cornish pixies free within it. Later that week Fred and George Weasley turned their potion into something that made Montague's hair turn pink, and Longbottom cracked the first of what would no doubt be many cauldrons of the term. The only satisfaction Professor Snape received was in writing a note to allow the Slytherin Quidditch team to practice at a time when Gryffindor had signed out the field.

* * *

Severus was waiting by the fire place when Emily came through the Floo on Saturday, just after noon. He hugged her tightly enough to lift her from the floor and then carried her that way into the bedroom. Just enough clothing was removed to make love quickly and desperately, after which they finished undressing themselves and made love all over again, this time at a more leisurely pace.

Later, they sat propped against the headboard and wrapped in the bed sheet so that they could eat sandwiches while talking over their week. St. Mungo's had a higher number than usual of cases involving illegally enchanted and cursed Muggle artifacts, owing to Arthur Weasley's recent round up of such items, but it was an otherwise uneventful week at the hospital. Severus told the tale of his week to Emily and was only slightly chagrined when she laughed in the midst of his outrage over the Whomping Willow.

"OK, now you're joking."

"Indeed, Madam, I am not. I fail to see what is so amusing."

"Severus, you _hate_ that tree. It stands for one of the worst moments of your life. You've begged Albus to tear it down, yourself."

Suddenly Severus saw the irony of the situation and smiled along with her. He said, "How nice it is to have a wife to talk these things over with. You don't know how I've missed you, Emily."

"I've missed you, too, Severus."

Severus set the tray of sandwiches aside, put his head in the most comfortable place in the world, and his arms around Emily's waist. He closed his eyes and absorbed the pleasure of the comfort she gave him. Just a couple of minutes later, or perhaps it was a few hours, Emily kissed his ear and said, "It's time to wake up and go to dinner. I want to catch a glimpse of my daughter."

The evening got better. Hope gave her father the wink he was used to receiving, although she spent the rest of the evening looking at the Defense professor. It would have stung earlier in the week, but Severus Snape was sitting with the only female in the room who wasn't looking at Gilderoy Lockhart. Instead, this female's attention was all on Severus Snape. Best of all was the moment Emily was ready to retire for the night. Severus let her tug him all the way to the door of the Great Hall, making sure that everyone in the room who cared to look would see that this lovely witch wanted to be with _him_. He kept his face impassive, a slight smirk showing on his features, although in his heart he was grinning broadly.

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers debjunk, excessivelyperky, angstycryingbaby47, and williammoseleysgirl. A special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	39. An Odd Friendship

_Disclaimer: Other than some OCs, the characters here and the world they live in are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter is set within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._

Severus watched his second year class file into his classroom for the second time in the school year. The girl behaved in true Slytherin fashion, dropping the scroll almost imperceptibly. The boy was too Gryffindor for his own good, instantly offering it back to the girl, asking if it were hers. Young Snape almost stamped her foot in frustration but instead gave the boy a withering look and tossed her curls as she continued to her desk. The boy unrolled the scroll an inch, looked at what was written there, and then rolled it back up and slid it into his bag.

Neville Longbottom couldn't understand what was happening when the scroll fell into his lap. He honestly thought she had dropped it by mistake but when she gave him that look he had to wonder. He knew exasperated females from dealing with his grandmother all his life. He unrolled the scroll enough to read the introduction. _Dear Study Friend,_ it read, _My father suggests that we not meet publicly as our Houses will not like it... _Neville re-rolled the scroll and slid it away to read more privately later. He looked up and saw an expression that looked almost like amusement on the face of their teacher for a brief instant before it was replaced by the blank look Professor Snape usually wore at the start of class.

"Hey, what's that?" Seamus Finnegan had noticed the scroll.

Neville thought surprisingly quickly. "Oh, the essay we're working on for Herbology. I must have pulled it out along with the essay for this class."

The Potions Master felt this was a good time to cut in. "Gentlemen, if you're quite finished your no doubt _scintillating_ discussion, I will have your essays and we can begin our class."

Neville actually did a passable job in Potions that day, for him. His potion was no worse looking than Weasley's, and he didn't explode anything, for once. Perhaps being distracted by wondering what was in the note was good for him. He didn't seem to notice Snape's scowls anywhere near as much as usual. Neville left class and went to lunch with Seamus and Dean Thomas, but finished early and found a place by the lake to read the note, giving himself half an hour before Herbology.

_Dear Study Friend,_

_My father suggests that we not meet publicly as our Houses will not like it. As it is I have no real friends in my own House, but Daddy says it's exactly where I belong. We cannot meet in the library. If anyone discovered us working together, it could be disaster for both of us. Therefore, I'm writing this note and hope you will find a way to return it. If we have times that we really must meet, we can work something out._

_I thought I should explain the questions you got wrong in Potions class last week first, and wonder if you could give me an explanation of a few things in Herbology. My questions are also enclosed._

The class notes she mentioned were below and then there was a closing line:

_I hope this can work out. I think we both benefited from working together last spring._

_Sincerely,_

_The other Study Friend_

Neville glanced at his watch. He just had time to answer the note before Herbology and then it was just a matter of bumping into Margo to give it to her.

_Dear SF,_

_I understand and agree. Gran says it's exactly where I should be but I don't seem to fit in my House, either. Thank you for the notes on the Potions. I will look them over and let you know if I have any questions. I have some questions about today's class, if that's all right, and here are notes on your Herbology questions._

_I never thanked you for that spell that helps me keep track of Trevor. It's much easier to handle everything now that I can do that. I look forward to hearing from you again._

_Sincerely,_

_The other SF_

He spent most of Herbology class trying to figure out how to get his note to Margo. Hermione got most of the answers in class today, and Professor Sprout looked at him oddly. Neville took a deep breath as class ended. If this was going to be a secret, he was going to have to be more secretive than this. He finally figured it out. Slytherin's table in the Great Hall was closer to the door. If nothing else, he could be his usual bumbling self and drop half his books on her, leaving the scroll behind.

* * *

"I don't like this a bit, Emily." Several nights later, Severus was pacing in the sitting room as Emily got home from St. Mungo's.

She took his hand and brought him to the couch, where she sat down with him and rested his head on her shoulder. "What did the dunderheads do today?"

He sighed. "Just one dunderhead, and the snake to whom you gave birth. They're passing notes."

Emily became alert. "Is it bad?"

"Actually, they're extremely discrete. That Longbottom kid has more sense than I gave him credit for, and your daughter is very Slytherin about it." He handed his wife a scroll. "I kept her after class today and confiscated it."

Emily unrolled and read.

_Dear SF,_

_I never understood why the porcupine quills made my cauldron melt last year, now I think I get it. Thank you._

_It's nice to have a friend who understands things. Gran is OK, but she expects me to be Dad all over again. It doesn't help that my one dorm mate is so obviously everything Gran wishes I was. I'm sure that dorm mate of yours will leave you alone eventually. You're so obviously not interested in the boy she likes._

_Sincerely,_

_The other SF_

Emily read the intricate discussion of the Herbology questions Hope had asked with amazement. "He's got a good way of explaining things."

"You know those are plants we covered in fifth year. Is she so bored in the dorm that she's reading that far ahead?" Severus sounded rattled.

"What's the real problem, Severus? If she's finally found a friend, I couldn't be happier."

"But what if they date and get married, like we did?"

"Severus, we never actually dated, if you recall. We went from being friends to being lovers for a day and a month after that we were married. If we're going to be ridiculous enough to look that far ahead, then think that our grandchildren would be considered pure-blood. Your Slytherin associates would consider it a good match and suggest that we contact Augusta and start negotiating the contract."

He snorted, "She's just a baby."

"So why are you worrying about it when she's so young?"

"What if they're like us?"

"Would that be so awful?" Emily asked.

"What if she falls in love with him?"

"Then I hope she will have as much joy in it as I have had with you."

He sat up and kissed her then. She responded eagerly and things were getting heated when the clock reminded them it was dinner time.

"Let's just eat here in our room," Severus said.

Emily smiled and shook her head. "Oh, no, I want to catch a glimpse of my daughter tonight, and we have something to return to her, I think." She held up the parchment.

* * *

Emily and Severus were in their bedroom much later, a tangle of arms and legs. She was running her hands through his hair and he was trailing his fingers aimlessly along her elbow. He brought up the subject again, in a round about way.

"When did you know you were in love with me?"

Emily opened her mouth and shut it and opened it again before answering. "It was the day of that wedding I skipped out of, the last time you made love to me that afternoon. I looked in your eyes and I just knew."

"You were crying and you wouldn't tell me why."

"I realized that it was probably the last time I would ever experience what we had shared that day and that I would never share it with anyone else."

He remembered it, the sense of pleasure and satisfaction and loss. He had felt it, too. He pulled her head to him and kissed her hair. "I remember. I was so foolish."

"It's over, now, and you had already left our daughter with me. It would have comforted me if I had known that."

"I should have realized. You were the dearest creature in the world to me in that moment, but it was all too primal, too basic, to be the lofty emotion I had for Lily. At any rate, there's nothing to worry about, if you weren't in love until way after we were done with school..." Severus stopped talking when he saw his wife's smile. "What?"

"I'm sorry, but that was when I _knew_ I loved you. I started loving you long before."

"When?"

Emily shook her head. "I don't know. It might have even started when I first saw you in the library. There was something about the way you held your books."

"How did I hold my books?"

"You still hold them the same way, and it wasn't something I understood until I was much older." He loved the way she blushed at times. She was completely undressed in his arms and had been quite wanton just a few moments ago, but certain memories brought back the blushes of her girlhood. "You hold them like a lover. I finally put it together that I wanted to be held the way you hold your books."

"I hope I've managed to satisfy you," he said with an unconvincing scowl. "At any rate, it's so much the better, because Longbottom holds his books as if he's afraid of them."

Emily smiled and said, "Well that's that, then." She couldn't explain the point he had missed, and neither of them knew that when Neville Longbottom worked in the greenhouses, his fingers had the same delicate agility that had drawn the one time Emily Smith to the current Potions Master. They were too tired to think anymore or do anything but fall asleep, Emily clasped firmly within the hands and arms she had so long admired.

_A/N: I was charmed by how much those who reviewed enjoyed my take on Gilderoy and on the character of young Margo. Everyone has been most kind about that. I hope you continue to enjoy her as we start to see some of the story from Margo's POV. _

_Thank you all who read, including angstycryingbaby47, williammoseleysgirl, debjunk, excessivelyperky, babington and istani, who all left a review._

_As always, a very special thanks to Mark Darcy, who beta reads and ensures that I'm not off on a wild ride._

_Aside to williammoseleysgirl: It seems like most girls go through a phase of falling for guys just because they look good. Hope was no better or worse than the others, but perhaps she has a lighter case of the disease._


	40. Hope and Luck

_Disclaimer: With the exception of some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter fits within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets._

_

* * *

_

_Dear SF,_

_No, I don't think you have to worry about the monster in the Chamber of Secrets. You are not a Squib in the least and your blood is purer than mine is. _

_That dueling club was a surprise all around, I think. I'm starting to think Professor Lockhart is not quite as great as he seemed at the beginning of the term. I don't think I was as crushed out over him as some girls, but I have to admit I got a high score on the first quiz he gave us. I'm so over that, now._

_Who would have guessed that Harry Potter is a Parselmouth! Daddy can understand the language although he can't speak it and he says Potter definitely was telling the snake to get away from Justin and behave itself. He then said that he would be completely surprised if Potter was the Heir of Slytherin. He said Potter just doesn't have it in him. I asked what Potter doesn't have in him and Daddy shook his head. He said Potter just doesn't have the Slytherin way of looking at things so how could he be Slytherin's Heir?_

_Are you looking forward to Christmas break? I'll probably spend most of it with my Grandma Margo. Daddy has to stay at work and Mum will want to spend most of that time with him. She says he gets really lonely without her and that I'll understand some day. Grandma spoils me a lot, but it does mean I have to go with her to St. Mungo's during the day. Then I just kind of wander around until she's ready to go home. I can come visit your parents with you, if you like, and if your Gran says it's OK, maybe we can hang out for a little while._

_I'm not sure I can describe how to fix the problem you're having in Transfiguration in a note, but here goes..._

_Sincerely,_

_The other SF_

* * *

Neville and Margo were exchanging notes on an almost daily basis by the Christmas Holidays. The girl's father knew when some were passed but missed most of the hand offs, both students having become quite talented in this subterfuge. Neville was a little less talented at this and often resorted to bumping into Margo in the hallways, something Draco Malfoy took great pleasure in pointing out.

"Hey, Snape, you have an admirer!"

"Don't be stupid, Malfoy! _As if_ I would allow myself to be admired by a _Gryffindor_. Really."

Neville, taking his cue from Margo, moved away from the Slytherins with a mixture of fear and disgust on his face.

These notes were a good outlet for two children who didn't have anyone to call friend in their own Houses. In the Gryffindor girls' dormitory, another little girl was pouring her heart out in writing, almost on a daily basis as well, with results that would nearly be disastrous. There were several who would have willingly shared her troubles, but she became enamored with the battered diary she was using and couldn't seem to stop.

* * *

Severus and Emily found that their technique of splitting Christmas between Margo's house and Hogwarts the previous year had worked well. Therefore, early Christmas morning Emily and Hope kissed Severus good bye and used the Floo to St. Mungo's where Emily filled in for another Healer who would cover some of her shifts later in the week. Christmas was usually a busy day in the Emergency Wards as family tensions tend to run high on holidays and cooking accidents increase.

Hope was left on her own for much of the day and managed to meet Neville without incident. Alice seemed to be quite taken with Hope and gave her a gum wrapper when she gave one to Neville. The boy looked at the girl with embarrassment but saw that she understood when she smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Longbottom. You're most kind."

Gran was charmed by Margo Snape, too, and let the two kids go to the Tearoom while she stayed behind to talk to the Healers. It was odd for Margo and Neville, having a chance to talk as much as they wanted and not knowing what to say. They made arrangements to meet the next day and from then on until Margo had to go back to the school to be with her parents.

Over the next week, they overcame their shyness and spoke about everything. They discussed their school work, their classmates, and a little about their families. One of the best days of the vacation, for Neville, was the day Healer Smith came with them to visit Alice and Frank. After visiting Neville's parents, the small party went to the roof of the hospital.

Margo's Grandma introduced Neville to the head gardener, who gave them a tour of the hospital greenhouses. The grandmothers went to the coffee shop ahead of the kids, who had a few last things to discuss before Margo went back to the school and they were left to exchanging notes again. Eventually they made their way to the coffee shop and found that Margo's Mum was waiting with Neville's Gran.

"Well, Sir Luckless*," said Gran, "we need to be getting home now."

"There's my Hope," said Mum. "Your Daddy is desperate to see you again."

The kids groaned at having their childhood nicknames used.

"Sir Luckless?" asked Margo under her breath.

"Hope?" responded Neville.

They said their goodbyes and didn't see each other again until their next Potions class.

* * *

"I must say, Severus, that if she has to have a friend that's a boy, she picked a polite, respectable young man."

Emily was sitting on her husband's lap in their bed that night, being systematically unbuttoned by her husband. Severus was already in a dressing gown, having settled down for the night before his wife and daughter arrived. He enjoyed undressing his wife when she was in her working clothes. There was something about the transformation from efficiently professional to soft and womanly that he enjoyed greatly.

"Hmph," said Severus, "Why couldn't she pick a Gryffindor girl to be her friend if she had to have a Gryffindor?"

"Who would her choices be, again?"

Severus thought about Lavender Brown and the Patil sister. Neither would do. Then there was that Granger girl. He shuddered.

"Exactly," said Emily. "And if it's a boy she could have ended up with that Malfoy or even Ernie Macmillan, who I hear is as free with his hands as his Uncle Stevie. What would that be like?"

Severus shuddered again and then refocused on the matter within his hands. He slid Emily's now unbuttoned blouse off and took out her hair, letting it curl around his fingers. He finished removing his wife's clothing and then for quite some time forgot he even had a daughter.

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I'm going to call you that from now on. It's right, even if just because you are my best hope for passing in Potions and Transfiguration. Just like Sir Luckless suits me. Gran says I'll find the fountain someday._

_My Mum has really taken a liking to you. When I went back to visit her after you had gone back to Hogwarts, she kept looking over my shoulder to see you. Even Dad seemed to think someone was missing. I hope you can visit them again. I really think they would like that. Gran says your Mum was the only Healer who knew what to do when they were first brought to the hospital. Otherwise they would still be in terrible pain, maybe, or maybe they would have died._

_Life is pretty normal. Thanks for the help on the homework we had over the Holidays. You saved my life in Transfiguration. Do you think you could help me with some problems I'm having with Potions?_

_Sincerely,_

_Sir Luckless_

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I refuse to see you as luckless, because I think you will realize some time that you're pretty great. For example, you would do much better with Potions if you would build on the dozens of plant properties you already know. You just need to have a little more confidence. And you've actually helped me out a few times with Charms, too. So if I'm Hope, you have to be Lucky. Just don't ever call me Hope out loud. I'll flatten you. Daddy showed me a really cool hex for that._

_My parents have a running argument. I don't think it's anything serious, but when Daddy calls Mum "Madam," it means he's not happy with her. They are arguing about that one house mate of yours, I think. I overheard them one night when I was supposed to be asleep. "Madam," he said, "The boy is a bumbling fool and yet the classic example of his House. I wouldn't trust him with a Flobberworm." Mum answered, "If you would just give the boy a chance. What were we like when we were twelve? You scowl way more than necessary, I think." Then Daddy said something really disgusting about Mum giving him a chance to do something I won't mention and there were lots of kissy noises and they got very quiet. My parents are always all over each other. I shudder to think what happens when the term starts and I'm in the dorm. Actually I try not to think about it. Some things are better left alone._

_Here are the Potions notes. I was wondering if you noticed some of the same things I did in Charms._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope._

* * *

_A/N: According to the reviews on Amazon, Sir Luckless is one of the characters in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Without revealing any spoilers from the review, I will just note that this seems the sort of nickname Augusta Longbottom would hit on for her grandson. The two kids would find the comparison obvious, having heard the story since they were babies._

_As always, I'm most grateful to beta reader Mark Darcy. I also wish to thank angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, babbinton, williammoseleysgirl and Istani for your kind reviews. Thank you to everyone who's read this; checking my daily hit count is becoming addictive._


	41. Second Year Ends

Disclaimer: With the exception of some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter is set within the timeline of _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_.

The school year continued through the winter and into the spring without much trouble for the Snape Family. Knowledge was worked into the reluctant heads of the students and patients came and went at the hospital. The Chamber of Secrets appeared to have closed and all the adults at Hogwarts breathed a sigh of relief. The Mandrake plants were nearing maturity and the potion to revive the petrified students and Filch's cat would soon be made.

Then it happened again. Two more students were petrified. The Ministry worked quickly, sending Hagrid to Azkaban almost immediately. Since Hagrid had been suspected of opening the Chamber the last time, he was seen as the likely person to have done it this time. The fact that he had been completely exonerated that time carried little weight with the Ministry of Magic.

The Hogwart's School Board of Governors acted right on the Ministry's heels, removing Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster. Emily tried to get some of the other parents to send letters to board members, denouncing both actions, but few parents wanted to get involved at this point. The board members turned a deaf ear to Emily, pointing out that she was hardly an objective person to comment with her ties to the school. Severus realized that Lucius Malfoy was behind the Board's actions and cautioned his wife to be less conspicuous in her efforts. It was still not clear what Malfoy's role would be should the Dark Lord ever return to power.

Finally there came a day when a student was not petrified, but kidnapped entirely. A note left on one of the hallway walls said that Ginny Weasley was in the Chamber of Secrets and would die there. The Teachers gathered in the Staff Room and discussed how to handle the problem. Professor Snape suggested that Professor Lockhart go search for the Chamber and save the girl, as the staff expert on Defense Against the Dark Arts. No one thought the Defense Professor would actually do anything, but it got him out of the room.

Suddenly, the crisis was over. It seemed that Harry Potter, armed with very little of use besides a strong loyalty to Dumbledore, discovered the Chamber of Secrets. While there he killed the monster, which turned out to be a Basilisk. He also fought against a spirit form of Voldemort and rescued Ginny Weasley, who had somehow been possessed by that spirit.

In the process of that rescue, Professor Lockhart had managed to Obliviate himself almost completely. Emily and Poppy were both asked their opinion. Emily spent several minutes trying to convince Gilderoy that she was not his wife and ended by simply shaking her head. The spell could be tricky under the best of circumstances but with a broken wand involved it was anyone's guess. If a cure was to be found, it would be through work with one of the specialists who worked in Memory Charms.

After some attendants from St. Mungo's came to escort the professor to the hospital, Emily went looking for her husband, a stormy glint in her eyes. When she found him, she brought him to a hallway in the dungeon that was familiar to both of them. He recognized the glint and the tilt of her head and followed.

"What did you do?" Emily asked Severus.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, did you send that poor fool down into the Chamber of Secrets the same way Sirius sent you to the Whomping Willow tree?"

"Of course not!"

"They tell me that it was you who suggested he go and now he has to be hospitalized, perhaps for his whole life."

"It wasn't like that."

"I've heard that before from other lips."

Severus's own ire was rising. "How could you think that I— Emily, he had no intention of going into the chamber. We needed him out of the way so that we could discuss the problem. He was packing to disappear when Potter and Weasley found him in his office. His trunks were found packed and his wand was discovered on the grounds outside the window. Those boys forced him down into the tunnels leading to the chamber, not I." He put his hand to his forehead and muttered, "Yet another example of Potter being lucky and escaping with little injury."

Emily slumped against the wall, her concern drifting away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. Forgive me, Severus."

"I know how it looked." Severus put his arm around his wife. "Let's go back to my office. You've just gotten home from a double shift, you've been consulting in the Infirmary without any rest. Now I have a potion to watch."

"How long will it take to prepare the potion?"

"Most of the weekend, I expect. Mandrake preparations need pretty close supervision, but not constant supervision. I could step away as far as our bedroom, if need be."

"I love to watch your hands when you work," said Emily softly.

"I believe you've mentioned that," said Severus. He lowered his voice suggestively, "Perhaps after the potion is simmering, my hands can find something else to work on?"

"I'd love that, too."

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Thanks for the recommendations on what to study over the summer. I can't believe Hermione Granger was still almost caught up to us, even after spending almost the whole term in the Hospital Wing this year. It seems like all she does is study and when she's done studying for classes she reads other things, too. I wonder how she does that._

_I can't wait to get home to Gran's garden. She's going to let me expand a section to include some of the plants we studied this year. There are some plants I saw in the St. Mungo's greenhouses I would like to try, too. Do you think the gardeners there might help me?_

_You will be coming to visit at St. Mungo's, won't you? Our conversations helped me understand things better over the Christmas Hol's and I know Gran and my parents would love to see you. Anyway, have a good summer whatever you do._

_Sincerely,  
Lucky_

A/N: Thank you for reading, and especially to reviewers debjunk, angstycryingbaby47, williammoseleysgirl, excessivelyperky, babington, Istani, and Electra de Lioncourt.

I am also indebted to beta reviewer Mark Darcy.


	42. Worrisome Tidings

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JKR. This chapter takes place between the timelines of HP and the Chamber of Secrets and HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

It was a sticky July night when Emily left work at St. Mungo's and two members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement greeted her. She inwardly groaned to see Bartemius Crouch and Rufus Scrimgeour.

Scrimgeour spoke. "Mrs. Snape?"

"Yes?"

Crouch consulted his notepad. "The former Emily Smith?"

"That's me."

"You need to come with us." Scrimgeour took Emily's arm and a moment later they were at the Ministry of Magic.

"My husband will worry--"

"We stopped at your home before going to the hospital. They know where you are."

Severus was in the questioning room to which they brought her. Mad Eye Moody was also there, a grin of delight on his face as he looked at the professor. "Here, we are, all cozy."

Emily opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but at a look from her husband shut it again. Moody noticed, anyway. "Curious, Mrs. Snape? Wondering why we've brought you down here?"

Severus shrugged and answered blandly, "It had crossed my mind to wonder, and I'm sure my wife is wondering, as well."

"She's a quiet one, isn't she? We're curious about her associations."

"I don't have any associations outside of my husband, daughter and mother, people I work with, and those I see when school is in session at Hogwarts," Emily stated calmly.

"Aren't you leaving one out?" asked Moody. He leaned toward Emily and asked conspiratorially, "Would you rather have your husband leave the room?"

Emily leaned away from the Auror and reached for her husband's hand. "I have no secrets from my husband, if that's what you mean. We've been close since we were children."

Severus cleared his throat and glowered at the Auror. "Is there a point to all of this, Moody?"

"We were curious about Mrs. Snape's boyfriend, Sirius Black." Crouch's voice came from across the room.

"He's my _former_ boyfriend, Mr. Crouch," Emily corrected. "I haven't seen him since sometime in the summer of 1981. That's, what, twelve years ago?"

"You haven't seen him, but have you heard from him?" Mr. Crouch leaned forward in his chair.

"Of course not. Why would I hear from him?"

"Are you saying you have not received any contact from him since he went to Azkaban?"

"I'm saying I have not received any contact from him since even before then."

"How about you?" asked Moody. "Have you contacted him?"

"Of course not!"

"Have you tried to contact him?"

"For what? I have had neither contact with Sirius Black, nor any interest in contact with him."

Moody shifted his attention to Severus. "How about you, Professor?"

"I am no friend of Sirius Black. I have had as little to do with the man as I can get away with. Had I run across him twelve years ago, Azkaban would have one less prisoner."

Crouch looked uncomfortable. "As it happens, Azkaban does have one less prisoner. Black has escaped." Emily and Severus looked at each other, shock in their eyes, as he continued, "Do you know where he might be?"

Emily shook her head. "I never kept track of where he went or lived after my marriage."

Moody peered at her with his good eye. "So you won't mind if we stake out your flat?"

Emily shrugged. "That apartment has not been in my possession since Severus started teaching at Hogwarts. It doesn't trouble me in the least."

The Auror and the Ministry Official left the room. Severus shifted his chair so that he could put an arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed her temple. "Hope is at your mother's terraced house with her. They should be fine."

"But if Sirius comes looking for either of us?"

"Why would he look for us? If he was helping the Dark Lord find and kill Potter, then he will look for Potter, not us. It's more important that someone catch him and give him the justice he deserves."

Emily's eyes started to glaze over. "You were right, all those years ago... I never should have dated him. I should have kept him out of my life."

"No one could have known what it would have led to. If Black has done something, then it is Black who is to blame and Black who should pay the price," Severus said harshly.

They sat quietly, leaning on each other, not saying much. About an hour later, Remus Lupin was shown into the room and they were all locked in, together. Shortly after that, Albus Dumbledore came through the door and sat down with them.

"The whole thing is cleared up. Severus, you and Emily may go back to your home until it is time to return for the term. Remus, you will come with me tonight."

"Headmaster..." said Remus.

"I'm sorry, Remus, we cannot argue this point any longer. You will be the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year. I can secure your release on my word that I will keep an eye on you and will prevent you from helping Sirius."

"Albus, I must protest!" said Severus.

"Severus, I know both reasons you have for protesting and you know one is somewhat petty. The other is a valid concern, but not when we have a Potions Master who is able to make Wolfsbane Potion." He held up his hand as he saw Severus open his mouth. "I will be willing to discuss all of your concerns later, Severus. Right now, the main thing is to make sure the students will be well protected. Having someone on staff who knew Sirius Black better than anyone else living will be to our benefit."

The Headmaster turned on his heel, leading Lupin from the room. Severus and Emily followed, heading home to their daughter and the rest of their Summer Holidays. It had been far too long an evening.

Emily was chilled to the bone by the time Severus got her to her mother's house. He led her up to their bedroom and put a blanket around her. She was still unresponsive, so he sat on the bed and pulled her close.

"Emily, why do you have this look in your eye? What is the matter?"

"I was just remembering the other time we were questioned at the Ministry about Sirius. And... I remembered the things that happened then." Her voice sounded quiet and far away.

"You mean when we got back to Hogwarts? Emily, I'm so sorry--"

She answered quickly. "No, not that, I was remembering all the losses. The Potters, the Longbottoms, the Prewetts, Marcus..."

"Isn't that why we're so grateful to be here, together?"

"What about..." She wasn't sure how to say it. "What if he's trying to help bring You-Know-Who back? It was so difficult with Quirrell always looking at me, but I never thought he would overpower me. What if Sirius were to try to--" She couldn't say it.

"I don't think the Dark Lord would possess him the way he did with Quirrell. Quirinus was a reluctant servant, I think. A loyal servant would not be treated that way. I think you are safe from the Dark Lord's advances through that route and you have proven yourself quite safe from Black's advances in the past. The picture they showed us lacked even the dubious charm he used to have so I doubt you are in much danger of seduction, Emily."

He could feel that some warmth had come back to her hands as she touched his face. They undressed and got into bed together. Severus held and caressed his wife, willing her temperature back to normal. At some point in the night she reached for him and he made love to her gently and tenderly, as though she might break.

_A/N: For those of you who are still subscribed to my finished story, "Year Between," I apologize for the mix up. I was in a pregnant fog yesterday and tried twice to attach chapter 41 to the wrong story, succeeding once, hence the alert to a chapter that doesn't exist. I'm really sorry about that._

_Thank you, readers, and especially reveiwers Istani, Babington, angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and williammoseleysgirl._

_A special thanks to Mark Darcy, who beta reads and provides a good sounding board to my issues with the canon._


	43. Difficulties Arise

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JKR. This chapter takes place within the timeline of HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban._

The day of the return to Hogwarts arrived and as usual, Emily left Hope off at King's Cross Station. She would have waved to Neville and Augusta Longbottom, but Hope snatched her mother's hand down. She hissed between her teeth, "We barely know each other at school, Mum. We have to exchange notes just to talk. Don't ruin everything."

Emily looked at her now-teenaged daughter with a sigh and kissed her goodbye, another taboo action. Hope tossed her mother off and got onto the train, waving goodbye dismissively as she went. At least it wasn't goodbye like most of the families here, Emily considered. She would see her daughter at meals and the occasional tea in the family's apartment at the school.

Nine hours later, Emily Flooed into that apartment and ran through the halls of the dungeons and up toward the Great Hall, reaching the door just as the Start-of-Term Feast ended. She worked her way through the students who were coming out and when she reached her daughter, seized her in a big hug. The wave of students washed them into the hallway and Hope—Margo, that is—struggled, but Emily held on for dear life.

"Madam, I believe that will be quite enough. Please let that student get to her dormitory." Severus's tone of voice was much softer than his words as he gently put his hands on her arms to get her to release her daughter.

"It's no big deal, Mum. See you." Margo disappeared into the mass of black-robed bodies going down the stairs.

Emily was looking up at her husband who was looking down a bit sternly. "They said there were Dementors on the train and that students were attacked." It sounded weak as she said it.

Severus gave her a smirk and guided her toward the stairs behind the last of the students. "_They_ were only as correct as they usually are when such rumors start. The Dementors got on the train shortly before it reached Hogsmeade, and none of the students were attacked. I have heard that Harry Potter may have fainted, but no students were attacked or injured."

"They said students were attacked. I just panicked. I had to be sure."

"And now I have a much longer evening with my wife, or do you have to go back to St. Mungo's?"

"I'm done for the night." She wouldn't tell Severus about how she had heard about the Dementors from MLE personnel passing through the Emergency Ward and had then run to her mother's office and finally straight for the Floo.

"That's fine, then. How about coming to the sitting room and relaxing, and after I make sure everyone is where they should be, we can enjoy the rest of the evening?

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I am so glad to be back at school. The summer started OK. We went to the beach, and we were staying with Grandma, as you know, and that was great. It was a lot of fun to be able to actually talk to you at the hospital. Your family is really nice to me._

_As soon as that guy escaped from Azkaban, my mother went completely loopy and my father went into a complete rage. I think, from the way they've been talking, that he was at Hogwarts when my parents were and that Daddy didn't get along with him. The weird part is I think Mum dated him. That's just so strange. Why would Mum date a criminal like that? _

_The whole time we stayed at Daddy's house, Mum wouldn't let me out of her sight. It was all, "Where are you going? Who are you going to be with? Don't talk to strangers!" Fortunately, she had to go to the hospital to work a lot, so it was mostly Daddy and me. He kept a pretty close eye out, too, and made me work on dueling spells and stances, but at least he wasn't completely freaked out half the time. Either Daddy is more worried than he admits about this Sirius Black guy or Mum made him promise to teach me to defend myself. That stuff Lockhart tried to show us was completely lame, by the way._

_I don't have a lot of free time this year. I'm taking almost as many classes as that Granger show off and it's going to keep me hopping. Anything to avoid the common room, I guess. What did you think of Care of Magical Creatures this week? I thought the Hippogriff was fascinating. I don't know what to think of certain people getting injured, but somehow I don't think it was the creature's fault._

_I need to work hard on Arithmancy already. My parents both got high grades and O's on their N.E.W.T.s in it, so Vector says there are "certain expectations" about me. See? You aren't the only one who has to live up to their parents._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

Neville recalled the note and looked around Potions class as Malfoy wandered in, late. He was making much of his Hippogriff injury, and his Slytherin friends made much of him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were rolling their eyes as Draco suddenly acted as though he had a twinge of pain. No one in the room, except perhaps Pansy Parkinson, thought Malfoy was still injured.

Then he complained that he couldn't properly prepare his potions ingredients and Snape (somewhat unfairly) made Harry and Ron trade and help. Malfoy smirked and then suddenly squeaked with pain in a way that made Neville think it was genuine. As he turned to look, he saw Margo put her wand down, her mouth set in an odd smirk. Malfoy was holding his arm and looking surprised.

Neville sensed a presence in front of his desk and turned nervously. He barely got back around before Snape started yelling. Neville had been so distracted by what was going on in the back of the room that he had added too much rat spleen and leech juice. Except Snape never actually yelled. His voice was quiet and well-modulated in a way that screamed much more than another professor could do at great volume.

Margo fretted at the back of the room. She had wanted to just give Malfoy a taste of reality, but it had backfired on Neville. She hated to hurt the innocent. Neville got so distracted sometimes, and he had been doing so well, today. She didn't understand why her Daddy was so mean to him. It didn't make any sense at all. She listened to him threaten Trevor, knowing Daddy wouldn't poison the toad outright. Besides, Granger would tell Neville what to do.

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I bet your father will never forgive me as long as I live. I had no idea our Defense class would be like that. I have to admit it was pretty cool while it lasted, but afterwards I realized that now I'm in for it. Your House mates hate my guts now like they only used to hate my one dorm mate. I shudder to go to the one class now._

_Do you hate me too? Are we still friends or not? If you don't hate me, I wouldn't mind going over some class notes._

_Feeling more like Sir Luckless today,_

_Lucky_

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_We're still friends, but we'll have to be even more careful about it than usual, if that's possible. Daddy keeps glaring at me, as if I put you up to it or something. It's not like we can help what we fear, and maybe your fears would be different if certain people were nicer to you. So in some ways, maybe it's his own fault. _

_They had me in for tea last weekend. I talked to Mum alone and she says there are so many things going on right now and that no one thing is what makes Daddy mad these days. Maybe she's trying to explain why she's so jumpy, too. Then they both told me that this Christmas they want me to stay at Hogwarts with them. I know it's that Sirius Black thing. I don't know what's wrong with them. Everyone knows he's only after Harry Potter. It's Mum being loopy again._

_Here's what I got for the problem you wanted to know about..._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

Professor and Mrs. Snape found an afternoon to spend in Hogsmeade, doing some shopping and enjoying some time together. Emily had worked her way into enough seniority at the hospital that she was called upon to work odd rotations less often, so she was able to spend more time with her husband when he could spend it with her. They ran into several acquaintances around town. Former students and patients greeted them warmly.

They stopped to have a drink at the Three Broomsticks. Severus sat his wife in a booth near a window and enjoyed looking at her face as they chatted together. Suddenly Emily had a curious look in her eye.

"Do you see that dog out there?" She was pointing to a rather large black dog outside the window.

"I don't think I've seen that dog before. I wonder who owns him."

"I could swear he frowned at me."

"Emily, I don't think dogs can frown."

"It's the oddest thing. I'm sure he frowned, and it reminds me of something."

"Why don't we remind each other of something." Severus leaned over and whispered into Emily's ear. A look of surprise came over her face, followed by shock and eventually mischief. She turned and looked into her husband's eyes.

"Well then, we'd better get back to the castle."

_A/N: Thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy. Thanks, again, to all who have read this, especially reveiwers debjunk, Istani, excessivelyperky, and williammoseleysgirl._


	44. Various Things

_Disclaimer: With the exception of some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_.

Severus Snape spent a great deal of time pondering his wife's sanity that fall. In some ways it was similar to the time when she had personally feared the Dark Lord. At least this time Severus knew the source of her worries but that did not help him in the effort to calm her down. He knew she was efficiently professional at the hospital and there were days at a time when she was her normal self. Whenever the name Sirius Black was mentioned, however, Emily would get a look in her eye and start fretting that the criminal would try to seek them out.

At the same time Emily walked on eggshells where her husband was concerned. The mention of Sirius Black or the sight of Remus Lupin could raise his ire. He was too professional to allow his anger to affect the quality of his teaching. However if his students previously found his classes unpleasant they now actively dreaded Potions class and the Potions Master. With the near-image of James Potter in his third year class, Remus Lupin in the hallways and at meals, and pictures of Sirius Black in the _Daily Prophet_, Severus felt that he was once again surrounded by the Maurauders.

As the weeks went by and Black did not seek them out Severus and Emily both hoped that things would die down. Events worked against them. On Halloween, Black somehow got into the castle and attacked the picture guarding Gryffindor House. Emily was fortunately working a rare night time shift and Severus was able to concentrate on searching the section of the castle assigned to him. By the time she arrived back at Hogwarts, it had been established that Black was nowhere on campus and although she was upset, Emily could not be as worried about a situation that was over. In the process of searching his section of the castle, Severus diffused his fury.

Emily was on the school grounds when the Dementors attacked a Quidditch match. At least she was fortunately not in the stands. Hoping to tell her about it before she heard from other sources, Severus found her in their bedroom, trembling. He sat down next to her on the bed.

"Just tell me nothing happened to my daughter," she said.

"Our daughter is fine."

"Why do they have to be here?"

"They will be able to keep an eye out for Black."

"If they're so great, how did they let him get loose to begin with?"

"I don't know, my love. Why do you fear them so much?"

"I've seen the damage they can do to a person. It's even worse than what happened to the Longbottoms. They've been involved in picking up prisoners to take to Azkaban, too."

"They won't hurt you. You cast a strong Patronus, Emily."

"What about Hope?"

"They won't get to the students, and if you like, we can teach her over the Holidays."

"Severus, it feels like we're living the worst five years of our lives from before all over and all at once right now."

He had no answer for that other than to hold her close, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her head was pressed to his chest and he kissed it, stroking her hair back from her face. After a while the trembling eased and Emily leaned her head back so that her husband's lips met hers. A new trembling started and before long they were pressed together, skin to skin, in their bed. A short time after that they were clasped together, offering each other comfort and love.

Through the rest of November and December things were pretty quiet on the Sirius Black front and Hogwarts was able to get on with the business of educating wizards and witches. The students went to class, studied, and played as students were expected to do. Hope was even allowed to go on Hogsmeade Weekend, with strict instructions to stick to places other students were and not to tarry near the Dementors.

Christmas was quieter than usual. After enjoying breakfast together, the Snapes went in two directions. Severus went to the Great Hall for dinner per the special request of the Headmaster while Emily and Hope went to Margo's house for Christmas dinner. The family reunited over a late supper and enjoyed an evening that did not include being interrupted by Argus Filch searching for students on the third floor, as he had done two years previously.

Classes started again uneventfully. The students returned to the school and re-entered the round of classes and studying. Late one night Severus was wakened by Filius Flitwick. Black had re-entered the school and had attacked a student. All the teachers needed to search the corridors again. Emily sat up.

"Do you think I need to worry?"

"He's not here for you. Most likely he's gone again. If he comes, immobilize him and send your Patronus to me."

Emily nodded and hugged her husband. There was a gleam in his eye as he tied the sash of his dressing gown and grabbed his wand. She knew that Severus hoped he would be the one to find Sirius and she shivered to think what would happen if he did.

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Just when I thought it couldn't get worse, I'm in even greater disgrace than ever. I wish I was not so forgetful. Everyone in my House is pretty nice to me, but I have to wonder what they're thinking and saying when I'm not around. I now have two professors constantly angry at me and most of the others give me angry looks._

_It's hard to study when everyone hates me. I know I've made a mess of this essay. Can you give me any ideas on how to fix it?_

_Sincerely,_

_Sir Luckless_

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_Nothing is that bad. It will blow over in a while and you will do something that makes people look at you with respect. Don't try so hard. I think you do your best work when you're not thinking too much about it. Concentrate on Herbology when you get nervous. You do so well in that. Then work on the other things._

_I don't know whether to be more worried about Daddy or Mum these days. When I see them, she's extremely nervous and worried. He's a little bit scary. He's really angry about something, but at the same time, he seems to be hoping that something will happen and he will get to do something. I don't know how to explain it. I think he had another run-in with that House mate of yours and with Professor Lupin. Those two make him mad enough separately. I'm glad I wasn't there when he had them in his office together._

_I put some notes on your essay so I hope you were planning to re-copy it. It wasn't that bad. Most of the stuff was right, but you had some things mixed up. If you sort it out the way I suggested it will still be the way you originally wrote it but it will make more sense._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

Margo Snape was pretty tired. She was taking a heavy course load during third year. It was not as heavy as the one Hermione Granger was taking, but by the spring, Margo's courses were taking their toll on her.

Hermione was completely exhausted. Using a time turner to add several hours to her week in order to fit all of her courses in was catching up to her. On top of that, she was spending as much time as possible in the library, trying to keep the Ministry from killing that Hippogriff of Hagrid's.

Had the girls been in any other combination of two houses, they might have been friends, helping each other study their extra subjects. They might have consoled each other over the struggle to learn so much. They might have enjoyed the friendly competition of their relative positions even if they didn't become actual friends. However, since one of the girls was in Gryffindor and the other in Slytherin, those compensations were lost.

Everyone was waiting for Potions class, and Margo had a note to give to Neville. She bumped up against him hard, dropping the scroll on the stack of books he was carrying. "Hey, watch it!" The Slytherins laughed.

Hermione had had it. She was tired of trying to find a way to save an unsavable beast, a weariness that had caused her to slap Malfoy. Some of her classes were starting to run together. She had recently missed Cheering Charms by sleeping through Charms class and had caused a major disturbance in Divination, dropping out of that class. She was at the end of her rope. For almost two years she had watched the Wonder Girl of Slytherin pick on Neville and couldn't understand why he would just shrug it off. Today it pushed her over the edge.

She dropped her bag of books and took out her wand, sending a Stinging Jinx at the Potions professor's daughter. In a flash, Margo dropped her books, turned, and whipped out her own wand, sending the very same Stinging Jinx back at Hermione. The other students were riveted, and did not notice the dungeon door open, nor the professor standing there, who quickly Disillusioned himself, deciding to see what happened before he issued detentions.

Gallant as their House demanded, Hermione's two best friends quickly entered the fray, one with _Expelliarimus_ and the other with _Stupefy._ Margo ducked their spells and hit all three with _Petrificus Totalus_. She was preparing something else when a voice full of quiet confidence and authority broke in.

"_Protego!_" An invisible wall came between the combatants and the duel was over.

In the shouting crowd, Margo was the only student who noticed Neville standing there, clutching his wand in one hand and Trevor in the other. He had a look of worry and disappointment in his eye that struck her somewhere in her middle. She nodded her head at no one in particular and picked up her books. She walked blindly into her father's classroom, almost bumping into him and reminding him to remove the spell he had used on himself. The professor stepped into the hallway long enough to release the frozen students with _Finite Incantatem _before class began.

Margo looked at the black board with her eyes full of tears and set to work, letting her hair hang down to hide her face. She couldn't look at her father, so she didn't notice the concern in his eye when he looked at her nor the speculation when he looked at Neville. She quietly made her potion and set her vial on the professor's desk, and then dropped a small scrap of parchment on Neville's desk when she went back to her own to get her books.

_N--  
__I'm so ashamed. Please forgive me.  
__--M_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Don't mention it. I know how things really are. Was it you who sent that House mate of yours to the Hospital Wing with bright orange spots all over? Wasn't it because he wouldn't leave you alone? And how exactly did you get your cousin to stop hassling you? I can guess. And after the disgrace I have been under all year, I think I can understand._

_I just couldn't stand by and let you massacre my friends. Or maybe they would have figured out how to get you. I'm not like they are, but they're the best friends I've got, besides you, and I don't want any of you to get hurt. I don't know what got into her. She said she hates to see you constantly pick on me. I guess we've gotten sloppy when we pass our notes. We'll have to work on it._

_I know I have questions about today's class. I don't remember what they are right now._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

Professor Snape finished preparing a batch of Wolfsbane Potion as his wife watched him. The past month and a half between the Easter Holiday and exams had been fairly quiet. As soon as Lupin came for the potion, they would head to one of the towers to watch the moon rise. When Lupin didn't come, they decided to bring it to him. It would be on their way, after all.

When they arrived in the office of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, the door was open, but Lupin was nowhere to be found. It looked as though he had left it just a minute or two earlier. Severus went to put the cup of potion on the desk and discovered an odd piece of parchment.

"Emily, look at this. It's that parchment that insulted me last winter."

Emily came to the desk and saw that the parchment was not full of insults but rather a map.

"The 'Marauder's Map?' James and Sirius and all of them made this?" Emily couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"It insulted me and referred to them by their nicknames for each other. Look, there's a name for everyone on the map. See, we're right there in the Defense Professor's office. It should tell us where Lupin is."

They looked at the map intently. After a few minutes, Emily said. "Look, he's there, moving away from the Whomping Willow, toward the edge of the map. What do you suppose he's doing?"

Severus looked up. "He's in the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack. He's probably gone to meet Black there, which means they must have been working together all along. I knew it." He put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Go back to our rooms and stay there. Don't leave unless you hear from me or the Headmaster. Do you understand?"

Emily nodded. She didn't want to be near Sirius. It had been bad enough, not knowing what was going on when Quirrell was near her. If Sirius was near her and was working for the Voldemort...Emily shivered. Severus pulled her close for just a second and kissed her.

"Everything will be fine, Emily. We will catch him tonight and we will learn what we need from him and then he will see justice, finally. I need to go, now."

Emily made her way to her own sitting room and tried to read some articles she had marked for herself. She paced the room and wondered what Severus was doing. She read again and paced some more. She screamed when Albus Dumbledore's head appeared in the Floo.

"Ah, Emily, I am sorry to have startled you."

Emily stood with her hand over her heart, breathing hard, and shook her head. "It's no problem, Albus. What can I do for you?"

"There was an altercation on the grounds and one of the participants is locked into Filius's office. I wonder if you could look him over for me, just to make sure he has no substantial injuries or illness."

Emily reached for her bag and said, "Certainly, Headmaster. I'll be right up."

The older wizard smiled kindly and said, "Thank you, Emily. I knew I could count on you."

_A/N: For those who are celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you are enjoying the Holiday! I imagine quite a few people are traveling this week. I hope your travel goes uneventfully._

_If it seems like I'm galloping through the third book, I am. Professor Snape doesn't figure much into the storyline here until the end of the school year. _

_Also, just a note in passing, the next few chapters include what is probably as close to PWP as I am likely to post. _

_Finally, I would like to add a note of thanks to everyone who has been reading this story and to those who have reviewed. Thanks especially go to beta reader Trickie Woo._


	45. Hello Again

_Disclaimer: Except for some OC's, the characters here and the world in which they live are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? Emily, you've become a beautiful woman."

As usual, the Headmaster was incomplete with his information. Emily didn't know what to expect when she went into the office and was surprised but not shocked to see Sirius Black standing there. He certainly knew what he was talking about when he mentioned sore eyes, as one was blackened and swollen. He held out his hands and reached for her, but Emily held out her wand defensively.

"Not too close, Mr. Black. You're a traitorous murderer, after all."

"Emily, did you actually believe that?"

"It was difficult, Sirius, but how could I not believe it? After what happened to James and Lily, and I saw the baby right after it happened." She took a deep breath to relax the tremor in her voice. "And what happened to Peter, and poor Remus was crushed..."

"Remus understands it all now, and Peter is very much alive."

Emily waved her free hand. "It doesn't matter. I'm here in a professional capacity to examine you to see if you're sick or seriously hurt."

Emily transfigured the desk into an examination table and told her patient to sit on top of it, at which point she drew near enough to start the exam.

"It was Peter, Emily. He was the spy all along. He turned traitor at least a year before it happened. Now he's escaped again and I'm going to be kissed."

"What did you expect, Sirius? Even if your story is true, you and James were horribly naive, and a bit overly impressed with your own cleverness. Severus was completely eaten up by guilt over the riddle you used in your Fidelius Charm. Is there some reason you couldn't have used Dumbledore as your secret keeper?"

"James trusted his friends, obviously too much. How did Snape come into it?"

"How do think? Instead of opening _History of Hogwarts_, You-Know-Who summoned my poor husband, who thought he was being asked a question to test his loyalty. He was under directions to answer truthfully if it was something inconsequential and that seemed as though it was. It didn't matter that there were a hundred places where a person could find the answer. The one source chosen out of the hundred was Severus Snape and he's never quite gotten over it." Emily put ointment on some scrapes and bruises she found on Sirius's hands and face and used spells to ease the swelling around his eye. "You look perfectly healthy, if a bit undernourished."

Sirius grabbed Emily's wrist and pulled her close. "So, are you still married to him? The Death Eater?"

Emily wrenched her arm away. "He's not a Death Eater and yes, Sirius, we're still married. You didn't ask, but I'm still passionately in love with him, too."

"Do you know what he did to me, tonight? At the Shrieking Shack?"

"No, but I can guess. He was mad enough to kill you, back when you were the reason his childhood friend died. Did he give you the black eye?"

"Er, no, that was actually my godson."

"Smart kid."

"Emily, Emily, if you know how I thought about you in prison..."

"You mean, the whole time you were saying, 'He's at Hogwarts?'"

"Emily, I've been in Azkaban for twelve years. Now you stand before me, and you look," he sighed, "so good, and I feel so much..."

"You're trying to figure out how to escape, aren't you? I won't let you use me for that, Sirius. Your charm never quite worked on me even when you were young and dreamy looking."

His gray eyes turned steely and hard. "Oh, it worked on you, but I misjudged my moment. I could have shagged you in spring of sixth year but I wanted you to want it more."

"Even then I didn't quite believe in our supposed love affair; I never quite forgot that afternoon in Hogsmeade when you used me. Besides, Severus had already started to watch over me. You didn't have a chance, Sirius."

"Go back to your no doubt lovely life with the greasy git then, and leave me to my misery."

"Sirius, even if what you say is true, there's a level on which you chose this. James and Lily died because of the hubris you and James shared. Then, assuming what you say is true, you further allowed your pride to rule you by looking for Peter yourself instead of telling the ministry or your Order of the Phoenix or even Dumbledore what had happened. Now, if you don't mind, I should see if my husband has injuries from tonight's altercation."

"Snivellus will get more than a caustic voice and some healing ointment, won't he?"

"_Langlock_! If that name disappears completely when they kiss you it will almost be worth it," she hissed. Emily looked at her one-time boyfriend with stormy eyes. "Severus gets more from me than you ever did because he gives more. He always has. You never gave me anything, Sirius, because you were too busy taking. I am fortunate that I protected what was valuable when we dated." She sighed and turned away. "I hope you are somehow shown mercy. Farewell, Sirius."

Emily knocked on the door and the Aurors let her out. She released the Tongue-Tying Curse she had placed on the prisoner. She was barely aware that the Aurors went into the room to make sure she had not provided the prisoner with means of escape. She went back down to the dungeons, relieved at least that the one worry she had was not realized. She had nothing to fear from Sirius, at least not _that_ way. Not seeing Severus in their rooms, Emily took a shower. She desperately needed to clean away the essence of the man she had just treated.

Emily was toweling off her hair when her husband blew into their sitting room. She peeked through the bedroom door to see him. Severus was still covered with the earth that lined the passageway between the willow tree and the Shrieking Shack. His face had various bruises and scrapes, and his hair was disheveled. His face was filled with rage.

"Were you part of this?" he asked, his eyes glittering.

"Part of what?" she asked.

"I captured Black. He was being held upstairs. Macnair was going to get the Dementors, and now Black's escaped." Severus looked darkly at his wife.

Emily blanched. "Albus told me a patient was locked in Flitwick's office and that he wanted me to look him over, to make sure he was healthy. I discovered it was Sirius when I got there. I left and the Aurors were there, checking on him. I came straight down here and took a shower because the man was filthy."

Severus's posture relaxed infinitesimally. "So you weren't involved in Black's escape?"

"He escaped?" Emily shook her head. "I thought Fudge was going to have the Dementors kiss him."

"He escaped, and with him my hopes for an Order of Merlin." Emily understood her husband's rage. The Marauders had beaten him, again. Sirius would think it a nice bonus to the day's events. Emily felt a flash of her own rage. For a fleeting moment, she hoped that wherever they were, Lily Potter was giving her husband a good slap.

He saw red marks on her wrist. "What happened to you?"

"It's nothing. He grabbed me and I pulled away."

Rage was still in his face as he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. "You're mine, Emily, mine and mine only."

"Of course I am."

He kissed her fiercely. She reached her hands around his neck and kissed him back. Somehow his dirty robe fell to the floor and soon he was undressed. He moved her onto their bed and pushed the dressing gown from her shoulders. "Did he try anything with you?"

"I wouldn't let him."

"You are mine." He was roughly nibbling a trail down her skin.

"Completely."

His hands were aggressive and his mouth was ravenous as he worked his way down her body. "All of this belongs to me."

"Just you."

His hands pushed the robe the rest of the way off of her. "No one else will ever do this with you."

"No one else. Oh, Severus..."

"You're mine, Emily, mine..."

He brought their bodies together and it seemed to Emily that Severus made love to her with an intensity that he rarely showed. Her whole world became the man who held her so tightly and she gloried in his possession of her. She moved with the same intensity he did, her passion meeting his need. She moaned as he caused her to explode, barely aware that he was groaning with his own intense feeling as they both reached completion.

Severus returned to his senses and felt shocked with himself. He couldn't understand what had happened. They were discussing Black's escape and then he couldn't help himself. He had taken his wife without the tenderness to which they were accustomed. He looked at her to apologize but she was looking at him with affection. He realized that where he would have taken her with force she had diffused it so that it had instead of being something almost like rape it had become intensely passionate lovemaking.

"Did I hurt you?"

"You are incapable of hurting me."

"How can you say that? I treated you like..."

"You treated me like your wife, whom you desperately needed right then."

"Oh, my Emily," he said, pulling her into his arms, "I do need you."

"I will always be where you need me."

He kissed her then, and gently caressed her. Desire returned but he realized he was still dirty from his trip through that tunnel.

"Would that include the bath?" he asked.

"I'm right behind you."

She paused just long enough to summon a House elf and request that the bed be remade with clean sheets. She then followed her husband into the bathroom, where he was filling the tub with hot water and bubbles. After they got in, Emily took a washcloth and dabbed gently at her husband's face and hands. She applied a healing ointment to the scrapes and bruises he received when Sirius had levitated him so clumsily. He described the scene in the shrieking shack and near the willow tree.

"I would have killed him. If he had just done something, I would have killed him, but then those children all hit me with _Expelliarmus_ at once."

"That explains this wound on your forehead." Emily summoned her wand and used a healing charm. It reminded him of his greatest grievance.

"Black used my whore of a wand, Emily. It betrayed me. I'm not sure I ever want to use it again."

"You know as well as I do that the magic is within you, my love. Sure he could do a few things with it, but the wand would never have worked for him as it does for you because it's your wand. Most importantly, you are the more powerful wizard." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Certainly in this room you are the _only_ wizard."

"But those kids..."

"All three were acting together and caught you off guard. I suspect you were so focused on Sirius that you forgot to pay attention to them." He had to nod at the logic of that.

"Lupin and Black told some cockamamie story about the Marauders all being Animagi and how it was really Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters."

Emily sat up. "Is it possible?"

Severus murmured into her ear, "Anything is possible when you move like that, dear."

He took a moment and returned to a normal tone of voice. "When I woke I might have actually seen Pettigrew for an instant before he transformed into a rat. I definitely saw Black turn into a big, black dog. Dumbledore believed the story Black and the kids told him."

"Severus..." A thought occurred to Emily.

"Hmm?" He was starting to relax and enjoy the possibilities offered by the position they were in.

"Could it have been him? I suppose he has been the dog we've seen from time to time this school year. You don't suppose Sirius was the same dog that walked past on that evening we sat on my front step, after we first made love?"

"Why not? He told you later that he saw us together. I wonder now more than ever how he didn't smell me on you. You looked and smelled just like a woman who had made love all day, with me."

"He was pretty buzzed from the wedding, and I did tell him I had been with someone all day."

That sat for a while and pondered the dog they had seen and the day that had preceded it.

"I saw the way he touched you and I had an urge to hex him from across the street, but I didn't have the right. I don't own you."

"Yes, you do, and you did even then. You have owned me, body and soul, from the instant I became a woman in your arms. Maybe it doesn't work that way for everyone, but that's how it was for me with you."

"Emily, I don't own you, you know. That was never part of our deal. You belong to yourself and can choose--" She put her finger to his lips.

"It doesn't work the way owning your wand works, Severus. I gave myself completely to you that night. It was my choice, freely made. I have perfect freedom within that context because you are such a loving and generous husband, but I belong to you." She replaced her finger with her lips and kissed him deeply, pressing into his chest. "And you belong to me."

"Emily..."

She washed his hair and rinsed it carefully. After getting out of the tub and wrapping a bath sheet around herself she held up another towel for her husband. She walked him to the bed and sat him down. After combing out and drying his hair, Emily had Severus lie down on the bed.

She summoned some soothing oils and rubbed his tired and tense body. After rubbing his back from neck to toe she rolled him over and rubbed the rest of him. When he reached for her, she gently rubbed his arms and hands and set them aside.

After finishing the massage, Emily started kissing her husband, starting with the wounds that were healing on his face. She worked her way over his whole body until he was muttering and reaching for her. She made love to him, then, and he felt her become warmer and sweeter until it seemed there was nothing left of himself apart from being joined to her.

In the way she had just taken care of him, Emily established her ownership of Severus and he found that he wanted to be owned in this way. He looked into her eyes and didn't want the moment to end. Perching himself up so as not to crush her, he watched the various emotions play on her face as he pulled the covers over their cooling bodies.

"You're right. You own me, too," he said.

"Hmm?"

"Emily, you showed me tonight what I should have realized. I am my best self within your arms. We belong to each other. I love you."

"I love you, Severus."

He started to move away but she whimpered and tightened her arms around him, reluctant to be parted. He kissed her and rolled to his side, bringing her with him.

He awoke several hours later, feeling the stirrings of returning passion and the stirrings of his wife caressing his back and kissing his neck. "You will be too exhausted to work tomorrow," he murmured into her hair.

"Healers are used to that sort of thing," she responded.

"Are they used to giving treatment while sitting in their patient's laps, naked in bathtubs?" His voice was full of amusement.

"Only for my most special, personal patient." She took his hand and kissed it, moving it to a place it was welcome and said, "Make love to me, Severus. I don't know why, but I feel as though tonight is special. I don't want to be parted from you until I have to leave for work." Suddenly he felt her urgency and wanted her again.

A little while later they spoke of the fears and worries that had affected them all year, driving subtle wedges between them. Nothing was held back as the issues that were just resolved put everything in a different light. They made love almost continuously throughout the night and it seemed to them both that they went deeper and more thoroughly with each other than in a long time.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_My parents seem to be themselves again. Daddy's pretty mad about Sirius Black getting away, but Mum says things aren't quite what they had seemed like and it's not as bad as everyone thought. She's stopped being freaked out about everything and is a lot more cheerful since the Dementors have left Hogsmeade. They're all over each other again, too. It's kind of icky, but it's kind of good, too, since it means things are normal again._

_I'm really proud of the way your exams and final grades turned out. You've been studying hard. We're going to the seaside again, but after that we will be spending some time at Grandma's house before going to Daddy's house. I hope to see you at the hospital. I've missed your Mum and Dad, and even your Gran this year._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

As they had done for the past two years, starting with the Summer Holidays after Hope's first year of school, the Snapes spent a week at the seaside. Severus had learned to accept the looks his wife received and even enjoyed some of the more foolish among her admirers. She found that this year she had to purchase new suits as those she had worn in the past didn't seem adequate to cover her bosom any longer.

Emily sighed and resigned herself to the possibility that older age was catching up to her figure as she went to the clothing store. Her bras and some of her blouses were getting tight, and the waistbands of her skirts had started to bind by the end of the day, too. Severus suggested that she wear more revealing swimsuits than in the past. He didn't notice any increasing of his wife's figure, certainly nothing that made her less desirable. After two years of taking this particular trip, he was starting to find the questionable coverage of bikinis to be fascinating.

Their lovemaking that summer seemed to be specially enhanced as well. Since the events in the shrieking shack, Emily could not seem to keep her hands off her husband. Severus was only too happy to respond to her touch. Somehow they had new eyes as they explored and re-learned each other. Margo took Hope for long weekends as the two celebrated a second honeymoon of sorts.

* * *

The summer vacation had its bad moments as well as its good ones. Severus began to notice a tingling sensation in the Mark he had received upon becoming a servant of Voldemort. Years before he had received a form of the Dark Mark. It was abbreviated from that of a true Death Eater in design but worked the same way. It appeared that the Mark was starting to work again. If the Dark Lord regained power, as Dumbledore expected, those Marks would serve as a system for alerting and summoning Voldemort's servants.

"It can only mean one thing, Emily. Somehow, he's managed to take on some kind of human form again. Dumbledore suspects that Pettigrew went to find him and assist him. It turns out he was a rat and not the hero everyone once thought. Forever from this day that man will be Wormtail to me. And," he sighed, "that means Black wasn't quite the villain after all."

Emily rubbed the Mark with the various preparations she knew that would cool and ease the increasing tingle as it slowly became an actual burn. She found many ways to make it feel better for a day or two but no way to remove it altogether. She watched as the burn seemed to enter his soul, and by extension hers, as worries about the future.

They had enjoyed so many years without living in fear of the Dark Lord, but now they would have to worry about him again. What would it mean for Severus? Would he be expected to return to spying for this master? Would he be trusted? Would he, on the basis of the Quirrell incident, be considered a traitor?

Emily realized that there was a possible concern for herself as well, although it didn't trouble her very much. When the Dark Lord realized she was barren, he would surely move on to another woman. Her thickening figure would no doubt dissuade him from pursuing her as well. Doubtless by now there were younger and prettier women who would be willing to receive his attentions. Her husband's health and safety were most important to her now, and she made love to him as though it would somehow protect him.

_A/N: Sorry this took so long to get up. There were circumstances beyond my control and I think the Thanksgiving Holiday had an impact._

_Thank you all who have read this. Thank you to reviewers williammoseleysgirl, Istani, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and angstycryingbaby47. A very special thank you goes to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	46. Fifteen Years

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, these characters and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_.

Emily got off work early on the evening of her fifteenth wedding anniversary. Margo and Hope had insisted on having a family dinner at Margo's house, so Emily Flooed into her mother's sitting room. She hoped that meant that she and Severus would get time alone together later. Hope was sitting on the couch and jumped up as her mother arrived.

"Finally! Mum, you have to come upstairs to get ready."

Emily was sure she heard the buzz of many people talking in the back garden. "Hope, are there a lot of people here? What did you and Grandma do? And where is your father?"

"Never mind that, Mum, you have to get dressed. Everything is right here in your room, and there's a hairdresser."

"Margo Eileen, why on earth would I need a hairdresser for a small dinner with just the family?"

"Just sit down, Mum, and let her do her thing."

Emily came out of the room a while later and descended the stairs. Severus was standing at the foot of the stairs in dress robes, not one of the sets of robes he had purchased over the years for various events, but the very robes he had worn on their wedding day. Suddenly Emily smiled and didn't feel so self-conscious that she had been coerced into wearing her wedding gown.

Severus was smiling as he watched his wife come down the stairs. "You look lovely, Emily. Part of me feels like I'm nineteen again, except I wouldn't give away the time we've had together since then."

"Severus, this isn't a family party, is it?"

"No, dear, we have guests, _many_ guests. Your mother and daughter got together this summer and after Margo described our wedding, Hope said she wished she could see it. In her never-ending need to spoil our daughter, your mother concocted this event and they've been planning it ever since. There has been quite a flurry of owls since we moved to Spinner's End."

He handed her a bouquet. "This is for you."

Emily took the flowers and got a little misty-eyed. It was exactly like the bouquet Eileen had made for their wedding, with one addition. "Severus, there are roses in this one."

"I refused them, before," he said. "I didn't realize then that what we share is true love. It's one of the reasons I'm glad that we're not nineteen any more." He kissed her hand, right next to where her rings shone. "Come, we have guests to greet."

"I hope there's something to eat. I've been looking forward to a nice dinner all day."

The guest list was very similar to the one of their wedding. In addition to their Hogwarts classmates, the school's staff had been added. The staff at St. Mungo's had changed over the years, and certain people who were benefactors at both the school and the hospital had obtained invitations as well. Because of that, later in the evening Emily found herself dancing with Lucius Malfoy.

"Mrs. Snape, you are as lovely as the day I met you, and your daughter is quite charming. I see why my son is so taken with her."

"She's a little young to be taken with anybody."

"Nevertheless, after meeting the girl, I would be happy to start negotiating the contracts..."

Emily laughed. "You will have to take that up with my husband, Mr. Malfoy. I suspect you already have, though, and are trying a back-door approach through me?"

His eyes shifted, but he still pressed his suit. "It would be an exceedingly good match. Perhaps not quite as pure-blooded as my wife's family line, but all four of their parents are witches and wizards. Plus, we share a certain bond of service, as you are aware?"

Emily paused, looking for the best words to set this proposal aside.

"I know Severus has a certain fondness for your son, but he is not ready for even the idea of parting with our daughter. I'm sure he would insist upon waiting until _she_ shows an interest in a young man before approaching any talk of marriage. I'm sorry, that's how it is, Mr. Malfoy."

"But at that school, there are far too many Mudbloods, not to mention half-bloods and blood traitors. What will you do when she takes up with one of them?"

"For that matter, my family has been accused of being blood traitors, Mr. Malfoy. I think we will simply need to deal with that issue if it arises."

Lucius let it go and tightened his arms slightly. "I must admit that as my son is smitten by the daughter, I find myself smitten by the mother."

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, you do flatter a girl! Anyone can see your wife is the most beautiful woman here. Is that the end of the song?"

"It is indeed, and forever after it will be 'our song,' Mrs. Snape. Thank you for the dance. Severus," Malfoy said as he brought Emily back to her husband, "you have a lovely bride."

"Thank you, Lucius," responded Severus. He took Emily's hand and put a possessive arm around her waist. "I've often thought so, myself."

The anniversary couple took to the floor before someone else could ask to dance with either of them. "So what did Lucius discuss with you?"

"He's quite the smooth talker, isn't he? He tried to convince me to arrange a marriage between our children, even after I got him to tell me you were against it. I flatly refused, of course."

"Good girl."

"Severus, I've been working all day. I've submitted to this party and it's lovely and dinner was delicious, but now I'm tired. Is there any way we can just go home now and leave this behind?"

"You're kidding. I think there are a few men here who haven't come to touch you, yet."

"That's another thing. Lately it seems like every man I see wants to touch me. Just my shoulder or arm, usually, but it's weird. I don't think I invite it or anything. I'm tired, Severus, and I want to go home."

"So you want to leave?"

"Yes."

Severus swung his wife over toward the place where the two hostesses stood together. Emily kissed her mother and daughter goodbye.

"I took the liberty of re-arranging your schedule at work. They won't be looking for you until Monday morning," said Margo. "Hope will be staying with me the whole time. Don't worry about her."

"Whatever will the two of you plan while we're gone?" Emily was only half teasing.

* * *

Emily was tired enough to do Side-along Apparition with her husband. He took her, not home to Spinner's End as she had thought, but to the same small hotel where they had gone on their honeymoon. Severus brought her directly to their room, where their things had already been unpacked.

"I see that someone has been busy today," said Emily, smiling.

"The party was for them. This is for us."

Severus swept his wife into his arms and kissed her, lovingly and deeply. Releasing her lips so that she could get a chance to catch her breath, he kissed her throat and shoulders and then all the way around her neckline, again making it hard for Emily to breathe.

"Your gown still fits you beautifully."

"Well, yes and no." Emily turned pink. "Hope and Mum took it with my most recent measurements to be altered. The dressmaker said it needed very little alteration around the waist and that the increases to my other measurement would just make for a more interesting décolletage."

"Much more interesting," said Severus as his fingertips explored the curves pushed up by the dress. "I had to watch every one of your dance partners stare down on this. Only I may touch." He continued to caress and look and kiss. Emily felt her knees start to give way. Severus brought her to the bed and they sat down together.

"Are you too tired? Would you rather rest now?"

Emily shook her head. "Oh, no, your kisses have made me weak at the knees, but I want more of them, and what comes after." She unfastened his robe and started in on the garments underneath.

He turned her so that he could unfasten the hooks holding her dress together at the back. He started to push it from her shoulders, but Emily shook her head. She stood before him and let the dress slide slowly down her body. He watched her body come into view, perhaps softer now than it had been, but quite beautiful to him.

Severus stood next to his wife and removed the clothing she had unfastened and then continued removing the rest. She saw his strong body emerge, more wiry than muscular, slim and graceful. Their years together had added a softness to him as well, although not everywhere, Emily reflected as he removed the last of his clothing.

They made love with the skill that comes from years of learning to please one another. Afterwards, Emily all but collapsed into her husband's body, drained from her long day. He shifted their position so that he could look at her. He watched for a long time as she went to sleep, a soft smile on her lips. He pulled her closer and kissed her all over her face before allowing sleep to take him as well.

They spent the next several days enjoying their time together. Sometimes they went out to local shops and occasionally they went to sit by the pool. They didn't get to the pool very often, however, as Severus had only brought a string bikini for Emily to wear for that purpose and he was far too fascinated with it not to touch and explore how it worked. When that happened, they more often than not found themselves back in the bed.

When Emily arrived at work on Monday morning, she was greeted with many comments about how lovely the party had been from her female co-workers. Then she was subjected to comments about how well-shagged she looked from her male co-workers. Deciding that there was no shame in a married woman enjoying time alone with her husband, Emily just smiled softly and said very little in response.

_A/N: For me, this is one of the most enjoyable groups of chapters in this story. It continues for another two, as well. Then we go back to school._

_Thank you for your kind comments, reviewers: debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. I like to know what works and what doesn't so much._

_Special thanks go to Mark Darcy, who is a great beta reviewer even when her PC is uncooperative._


	47. Out of the Blue

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they live in are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_.

In exchange for a lengthy weekend off, Emily had a complex work schedule the next week at St. Mungo's. Hope had been long abed in her room in the house on Spinner's End Monday night when Severus looked up from his desk to see his wife come through the Floo from the hospital. Without looking at him, Emily walked around the coffee table and landed on the couch, watching the fire with a bemused expression on her face.

"Emily?"

She didn't answer. Severus had seen that face before, but wasn't sure when. An old memory bit at the edges of his mind. "Emily, what happened?"

She waved her hand. "Some fool on the way to the Janus Thickey Ward hit me with a mild Stinging Jinx. It's no big deal."

Severus dropped his quill and moved over to the couch, where he started examining his wife to assess her injury. "Are you all right? Was it serious?"

Emily shook her head. "Not in the least. They did a thorough exam on me anyway. It was a slow night. Severus..." She looked up at him then and he suddenly recalled the memory was of an evening in the park and now knew what she was going to say. He smiled encouragingly.

"I'm going to have a baby. After all this time, I'm pregnant. Is that okay with you?"

In response he pulled her into his lap and folded her into his arms. "Oh, Emily, you fill me with such delight. Nothing could make me happier." He released her to kiss her face. "My dear, dear love. How is it possible? It doesn't matter. Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. "Just tired. Do you mind if I go to bed?"

"Not in the least. Come to bed, my pregnant wife. You can go right to sleep."

"Well, I might not be quite _that_ tired."

"No?"

"I might want to celebrate."

"Let me close up down here and I'll accommodate you."

Severus saw her to the stairs and then carefully put away his quill and notes. He walked through the downstairs of the home, dousing lights and making sure all was ready for the night. Hardly believing the good fortune that had struck his family, he leaped up the stairs two at a time.

Emily was sitting in the middle of their bed, wearing a nightgown of teal blue lace. It was one of their favorites, in which the colors of their school Houses were blended. She had brushed out her hair, just a little longer than the shoulder length it had been when she was as a student at Hogwarts. In this light she looked as innocent and young as one of his seventh year students.

"It seems a shame that I have impregnated a mere child such as you," he said.

"I'm no child," she said. "I have a teenage daughter."

He shook his head. "It's impossible. It seems like it was just the other day that you propositioned me and I decided I had to look after your virtue. How can it have happened that we have been married all of this time? Now you tell me we have conceived a third child. I tell you that it's just not possible."

Severus removed his boots, robe and pants as he was speaking. He laid them all aside and then joined Emily on the bed. He slid his fingers through the satin of her hair and kissed her. He explored her entire mouth and then kissed her face. His hands tangled in her hair and cupped her head as he held it and his lips trailed along her hairline, following his whim.

When he tired of that, he kissed her throat, moving his hands to caress and then hold her shoulders. His thumb traced a pattern that his lips followed along her collar bone, sliding the strap of the nightgown out of the way as he went. After his lips explored the one shoulder, he started with the other collar bone and did the same.

He kissed the exposed portions of her upper bosom and then leaned back to admire her. He hadn't noticed it, but there was indeed a new fullness to her figure. He looked into her face and saw a touch of apprehension and smiled with his passion. "Beautiful," he said as he leaned over to caress her again.

Emily sighed as her husband used his thumbs to slide the straps of the gown down her arms and the gown itself down her body. Where before she had been tired, Emily was now completely energized, eager for her husband's body to join with her own. She started unbuttoning his shirt and touched what she could reach underneath it.

"Will I ever get enough of you, Emily? I don't think it can happen," Severus said. He knelt next to her lower belly and kissed where there the fullness was starting to show. He moved up to kiss her lips as he shed the remainder of his clothing. They soon came together and Severus couldn't decide between kissing Emily and staring into her eyes as they moved with each other. There was no rush and they savored the moment, eventually bringing each other complete delight.

Emily smiled luxuriously. "You are a magnificent lover."

"You don't know that. Neither of us has ever been with anyone else."

"I don't need to know anyone else. I can't imagine anything better than what we share."

He rolled onto his side, never looking away from her eyes. "Have you told your mother yet?"

She shook her head. "I wanted you to know first. The other Healers might tell her, of course. Unprofessional, but there are no secrets at St. Mungo's."

"When should we tell Hope?"

"I don't think we should wake her up with it now."

"Would you like to tell her tomorrow?"

"Do you honestly think we would be able to _not_ tell her?" Emily moved her hand through Severus's hair. "I am so completely in love with you."

He took her hand and kissed it, nibbling on her fingers. "So when will this miracle child be born?"

"They think around the first of March."

"When did we conceive, then?" He wasn't sure if he needed to ask.

"My last cycle was in May, so it was probably right around that night when Sirius escaped, when we made love all night. That timing matches the measurements they took. I knew it was right to stay up like we did. If I had to pick a night to conceive a baby, I would choose a night like that."

"It was certainly a night of miracles, you know. A man my age shouldn't be able to do that, not that many times."

"I thought we established that a quite powerful wizard was in the room that night."

"Only because the most lovable witch in the world was in the room with him that night. I think if I was dying and you walked into the room I would pull you down beside me so that I could have your sweet body one last time."

"I'm only lovable because you treat me the way you do."

They debated delightfully about whom was more loving until Emily's stomach growled.

"Ah, my pregnant wife is hungry after all."

"It's all this extra exertion," she said, slyly.

* * *

Severus woke the next morning to see Emily standing before the mirror, looking at her body. "You're beautiful."

She turned and smiled. "You're biased." She looked back in the mirror, running her hands along her figure. "I'm wondering how I missed it. With Hope and Marcus I noticed almost immediately that something was different and I knew I'd missed my cycle so I got tested for pregnancy right away. Lately, I assumed I couldn't get pregnant. I didn't want to trouble you with my worries and wishes, and I know you have been working very hard not to worry me with your disappointment, too, so I'd been ignoring my cycles. I completely ignored the fact that I missed two of them, actually three this week. I thought I was just getting middle aged and fat. Thank goodness for robes."

"How did you know that I wanted more children so badly?"

Emily smiled tenderly. "You look at babies the same way I do, and I've seen the way you look at some of your students, as if you wished they were your own sons and daughters."

"I have no secrets from you, then." His scowl didn't go all the way to his eyes.

She looked at herself in the mirror again and patted her tummy. "Definitely getting chubby."

"You're not chubby, you're lush and fertile." Severus got out of bed and came up behind her. He pressed against her back, allowing her to notice that his ardor was rising, and put his hands on the roundness just below her middle. "This isn't fat, it's life. Our child, created through our love."

He brought her back to the bed where they explored each other's bodies again. Very quickly they found themselves entwined together. They started moving slowly at first but with increasing intensity until they both were gasping for breath and glowing with love for each other.

_A/N: All right, let the "I knew it's" commence! ;)_

_Thank you all who have read and reviewed. I'm sure many of you have been busy with the holidays and yet quite a few people have stopped by, according to my story counters._

_A special thank you goes to Mark Darcy for her beta reading expertise._


	48. Quidditch Cup

_Disclaimer: Except for my OC, the characters and world here are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_. _Ludo Bagman's entire introduction of the teams (the potion in italics and quotation marks) is directly quoted from the book._

It was decided, due to Emily's pregnancy, to adjust the family plans for the Quidditch World Cup match. Margo and Hope would still go, but Severus and Emily's tickets were given away to friends. When Emily arrived home after a short shift and visit with the midwife, Severus was listening to the pregame on the wireless.

"Neither of us really have a favorite in this game, so do you want Ireland or Bulgaria?" asked Emily.

"That's likely to be quite lopsided. Ireland has better chasers, but Bulgaria has Krum at Seeker."

"Turn about, then?"

"Are you sure this is safe, with the baby and all?"

"The midwife, and a Healer, looked me over completely. The chances of what happened with Marcus happening again are very small, so they say to carry on with whatever feels right. I intend to find out if you feel right."

"You don't remember from last night?"

"I'll need a reminder." Emily looked up at her husband through her lashes.

"Well, you'll have to wait. Do you want to be first or second?"

"How about you, if Ireland scores first and I will if Bulgaria does and then we'll trade."

_Good afternoon, witches and wizards, and thank you for listening to the WWN coverage of the Quidditch World Cup Final. I'm Chester Lipkin, along with Jeff Holling, and we will be your announcers for today's match. The weather here at the stadium is perfect for Quidditch, wouldn't you say, Jeff?_

_Yes, Chet, and the players are all in fine form, as we saw during the morning practices. We're waiting for the spectators to finish finding their seats and the players will soon take the field. _

_Say, Jeff, the procession of team mascots is beginning. Bulgaria's mascots are Veela. As they take the field to dance, we will switch over to their music... and that was the Veela of Bulgaria. Quite the show, hey, Jeff? Jeff? Er, could someone give him a slap? The Irish mascots are coming._

_Sorry, Chet, here come the leprechauns of Ireland! They are putting on quite a show, in the formation of a rainbow...and now a shamrock... and look, leprechaun gold is being showered into the stands! Chet, I'm not sure which team the crowd is cheering for, now._

_Just amazing, Jeff. We're going to switch over and listen to the stadium announcer, who needs no introduction of his own, Ludo Bagman, as he introduces the teams._

"_And now, ladies and gentlemen, kindly welcome—the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you—Dimitrov! Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand—Krum!_

"_And now, please greet—the Irish National Quidditch Team! Presenting—Connolly! Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaaand—Lynch!_

"_And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"_

_That was Ludo Bagman, formerly of the Wimborne Wasps and now of the Ministry of Magic, introducing the teams. They're taking the field, Chet. Listen to the crowd!_

_There's Mostafa, he's released the balls and the game is on, Jeff!_

Severus and Emily made themselves comfortable on the couch, merging their lips and listening to the game.

_Yes, and right off the Irish are strong. It's Mullet, now Troy, now Moran, and Dimitrov gets the Quaffle but loses it back to Mullet who passes to Troy. Levski sneaks in but quickly loses to Moran._

_The Irish are in the Hawkshead Attacking Formation, with Troy in the center. Now he's using the Porskoff Ploy and draws Ivanova above the action as he drops the Quaffle to Moran. Moran's in trouble as Volkov sends a Bludger her way, losing the Quaffle to Levski but Troy retrieves it and TROY SCORES!_

_Look at the crowd going wild, Jeff as the leprechauns celebrate!_

Severus only had eyes for his wife, as he removed her Healer robe and started caressing her through the blouse underneath.

_The Quaffle is back in action, the Irish Chasers sending the ball between themselves in a blur and Ireland scores again!_

Emily removed Severus's robe and started touching his chest through his shirt.

_The game is getting dirtier, Chet. Volkov and Vulchanov are keeping the Bludgers aimed at the Irish Chasers and under the pressure...Ivanova has the Quaffle and IVANOVA SCORES!_

Severus unbuttoned Emily's blouse and removed it, kissing her throat and the skin now exposed above her bra.

_Hold on, Jeff! Krum and Lynch are diving, diving, and Krum is pulling up but Lynch loses control and hits the ground. Jeff, we've just seen the Wronski Feint, offered up by the master, Viktor Krum! The mediwizards are attending to Lynch and Krum circles the field with an unobstructed view of wherever the Snitch might be. When was the last time we saw that maneuver used quite so effectively, Jeff?_

_I believe it was several years ago during a quarter-final between Argentina and the Congo, Chet. The Congo Seeker never took the field again. And play resumes as Lynch appears to be recovering. Here come the Irish and they score again._

Emily removed her husband's shirt and her fingers rubbed and caressed his chest, her lips following closely behind her hands.

As the Irish scored again and again, Severus removed Emily's skirt and Emily removed Severus's pants and then their underclothes were removed and still the game went on. As the score rose higher, Severus caressed his wife in more places and Emily touched and aroused her husband until they were both begging for the seekers to get a move on.

_And a foul is called on Zograf for cobbing...did you see how he used his elbows, Chet? So it's a penalty to Ireland._

_The Veela are not happy, Jeff. They've started their dance again, and Mostafa has been entranced by them...here comes a mediwizard to straighten him out and now Mostafa has ordered the Veela off of the field. Volkov and Vulcanov are coming to argue and another foul is called...That makes two penalties to Ireland!_

The fouls allowed them to sit back up and take a deep breath.

_It seems like the Irish are scoring at will, now, Chet. They're up 170-10 with no end in sight._

Emily was whimpering and Severus groaning with passion as the game continued and they teased each other into a frenzy, using fingers and lips in the most intimate of ways.

_Wait a minute, Jeff. Lynch is diving, now. He can't be trying a Wronski Feint himself, so it must really be the Snitch and there it is! Krum is on his tail and they're racing, racing....Oooo, Lynch crashes again and the Golden Snitch is missing, but wait, no, Krum has the Snitch! What astonishing flying by Viktor Krum! The game is over and Bulgaria takes the Snitch but Ireland wins: 170 to 160._

_It's been an amazing game, sports fans! Chet, let's recall some of the more memorable plays..._

The post-game show continued but Emily didn't hear it. She was only conscious of a rushing sound in her head and her husband's murmured endearments as their bodies joined together on the couch. They were so aroused that they had to start slowly but then moved with greater fervor as the culmination of the game they both won burst upon them.

A while later they lay on the couch, sandwiched between their robes as the wireless show switched over to music. Emily yawned and wondered idly whether the athletes realized the pleasure they brought to the fans. Severus watched her fall asleep and thought that he had never enjoyed a game more.

_A/N: A bit of credit for the inspiration of this chapter goes to RespiteChristopher's story "Scorpius Malfoy learns Quidditch," in which some older boys at Hogwarts discuss the game in the same way that American boys might discuss "baseball". Of course, a married couple is able to make certain assumptions that a teen boy can not make, so the game would be played somewhat differently in both worlds._

_Thank you, reviewers excessivelyperky, Istani, williammoseleysgirl, and debjunk._

_Many thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	49. The Tournament Begins

Disclaimer: Except for my OCs, the characters here and the world they live in are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

_Dear Lucky,_

_My mum has a Muggle Studies book all about current events and it describes a "Summer of Love" in which American Muggles did all sorts of things back in the 1960's. She was horrified to find me reading about that and suggested something else. The term,"Summer of Love," describes what happened at our house all summer, though, as my parents could not keep their hands off of each other even to eat dinner, it seemed._

_Now it turns out that I'm getting a brother or sister this winter. Actually, I had a brother, for one day, but he was born too soon and died. Mum says this is an answer to a long held wish for her and Daddy and that she hopes I can be happy about it, too. It's hard to know what to think. I mean, if it's a sister, it's not like we'll be doing each other's hair or anything._

_She's not very far along and most women continue with life as usual, but since there were problems with my brother, Mum is going to cut back a lot. She's going to stop working at the hospital when school starts and she and Daddy stayed home instead of coming to the Quidditch Cup with Grandma and me. Since we didn't all go as originally planned, Grandma and I came home early instead of staying over and we missed all of the excitement from that night. That was a benefit, at least._

_One thing is completely back to normal after last year. They're arguing over "that boy" again. It must be your dorm mate. The other night Daddy was going on about how the boy lacks even basic talent and Mum kept telling him to give the boy a chance to grow into himself. After all, the boy's parents were heroes in the first war, she reminded him. Then Daddy got a bit miffed and Mum had to tell him that of course he's her hero and past that point I don't want to guess what happened._

_There's some major thing going on at school this year, but Daddy won't tell me what it is. He just musses my hair. When I ask Mum, she just changes the subject to the baby. I know it's delaying tactics on both their parts. Whatever it is, it involves dress robes. I hope you bring some this year or you will be left out of whatever is going on. How do you like my new owl? I call him Gareth._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I guess we know what the big deal is, now. I'm still not sure where the dress robes come in, but Gran said I had to have them, too. She made me try on five different sets at Madam Malkin's before finally deciding to get the first ones._

_Our first Defense class was also all about Unforgivable Curses. It was startling to see the effect of the Cruciatus. To think of my Mum and Dad treated like that made me pretty upset. Professor Moody was really nice. He told me after class that he had heard I'm good at Herbology, so he offered to loan me a special book about the subject. He seems pretty friendly, even if he smiled at me in a funny way._

_I do have some questions about the potions. If you are able to answer them early, I will be much better off by class tomorrow afternoon._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

"Potter! Once again, claiming that he had no idea or intention of it, he's managed to push himself ahead, again." Severus and Emily were in their sitting room after the Feast on Halloween night. Emily was sitting on the couch and Severus was pacing.

"Severus..."

"When is Albus Dumbledore going to realize that he's a menace to society and even to himself? I don't even know how to count the rules he's broken this time!"

"Severus..."

"How are we supposed to keep that boy safe when he's subjected to those trials? How can I make good on my promise to Lily's memory? This is going to be dangerous! He could lose life or limb and he's three years from being old enough!"

"_Severus_." He finally looked over at his wife. She had a funny look on her face and her hands were on her tummy. He rushed over to her.

"Is something the matter with the baby? You aren't having a problem, are you? What is it?"

"Shush," she whispered. She took his hand and placed it with hers on the roundness that wasn't yet visible through her robes. Within an instant he felt the quickening from within her womb.

"That's..."

She nodded. His free hand joined the other.

"Our baby."

She nodded again.

"Emily, you know what this does to me."

"I was counting on it." She smiled and let him lift her to her feet. She followed him to the bedroom and let him undress her. Severus tugged unmercifully at buttons and hooks in his eagerness to get closer to that faint tapping. He finally reached bare skin and laid his face close to where his hand was.

Emily felt lush and beautiful. There was something so perfect in carrying the child of her husband. She enjoyed being adored in this way, even if it was for the baby right this minute. It wasn't insulting because she knew her husband loved her for herself, too.

The child stopped moving and Severus's attention turned elsewhere. He finished removing her partially unfastened clothing and then sat on the side of the bed to look at her as he undressed himself. He had no idea how to describe the love he felt for her right then, but he could see in her eyes that she understood.

Severus couldn't hide his impatience for her but it didn't matter. Emily reached for him with eager arms and lips. Within a very short time they were clasped together, enjoying their passion for one another. When they had finished, he held her with one arm around her shoulders and the other hand over the place where he had felt the baby before. There was more activity under his hand for a while since the child had been wakened by their lovemaking.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_That first task was pretty thrilling. Even Daddy had to grudgingly admit that Potter is some flier on that broom and the summoning charm was a stroke of genius. When he puts his mind to something, he can actually do pretty well, can't he? I thought Krum was wonderful, too, with the Conjunctivitis Curse. Just as thrilling as to watch him play Quidditch. _

_The parents made me have dinner with them last night. _Quelle nightmare!_ Not only were they all over each other, but they have their little jokes, too. They discussed how well Krum did with the Chinese Red, and Mum said that she's rarely enjoyed listening to a game broadcast more than when Krum caught the Snitch during the Quidditch Cup. Then Daddy smiled and said that play made his day. Then they GIGGLED. Well, of course Daddy doesn't giggle. It was more of a half-snigger from him. I'm sure they've lost their minds and that I was the only mature person in the room._

_My House is supposed to back Diggory, of course, since he's the of-age champion from Hogwarts, and there is a point to that. I think his transfiguration scheme might have worked better if he had tried a larger animal. Still, Potter has style. I'm sure the girls will be all about him for the next few weeks. Do you think Granger is really his girl friend like it says in the __Prophet__? They don't seem to suit. She bosses him all the time and he ignores her, as far as I can tell from the classes we share._

_Whatever. You need these Potions notes if you're going to survive class on Friday..._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

_

* * *

__Dear Hope,_

_You were right. Those Potions notes saved my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Since I've started with classes, I'll continue. In your essay you have two plants with similar names mixed up. One doesn't come up until next year..._

_McGonagall announced that there will be a Yule Ball on Christmas. Now I understand why we were supposed to have dress robes. I can't decide if I should try to get a date or just go and see what happens. I suppose you have a date, already? It's kind of funny watching my one House mate fret over the dating issue. He needs a date and discusses it with his best friend constantly. For once he's actually pretty human looking._

_Your parents sound so normal. I have to split your Dad into two people in my mind, though. He sounds very different from the person I know in his professional setting. Your Mum sounds really sweet. I read your stories about your family and I wonder sometimes, just what it would have been like. At least I can see my parents from time to time. Harry Potter never even gets that._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

A/N: Thank you to reviewers excessivelyperky, debjunk, and Istani! It's thrilling to know that so many people take time out of their day to read my stories. I appreciate it.

Thank to to beta reader Mark Darcy, too.


	50. Holiday Events

_Disclaimer: Except for my OCs, the people here and the world they live in are the creation and property of JKR. This chapter is within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and includes a direct quote from that book._

The Snapes went into town on the next Hogsmeade Weekend. The air was unusually mild for December and the shops were quite festive. The possibility of extra cash from the foreign visitors had inspired the Hogsmeade shopkeepers to have particularly fine displays. As they were shopping, Emily was stopped by a flurry of activity in her womb. "Hold on a minute, Severus," she said, "your child is going crazy."

He pulled her into an alleyway and slid his hands within her cloak to feel for himself. The baby was indeed moving quite a bit right then. As had happened with her first pregnancy, the sensation of life within his wife brought a sweet desire to Severus. It hadn't been quite the same with Marcus, due to the pressures put upon them by the Dark Lord, but they could both rejoice in the pleasures of this pregnancy. He pressed her against the wall they were standing near and kissed her.

* * *

Padfoot kept to the shadows, looking for his godson. He hadn't found Harry yet, but as he slunk through one alley he came upon a couple snogging against a wall. He couldn't tell who the girl was, but the figure of the man was undeniable. Severus Snape had buried his face within the hood of the girl's cloak, and his hands were somewhere within her cloak, too, doing who knew what. Sirius Black could guess, based upon what he would do with a girl if given the opportunity.

He transformed back to a man for a moment and stood close to the couple although still well in the shadows. "So, Snape, I see you've found a girl to carry on with. Are you going to shag her out here in the cold? And what will you say to your wife when you get this one knocked up?"

There was silence and then a quiet murmur. "I think his exact words were 'You fill me with delight,'" came from inside the woman's hood, accompanied by a familiar giggle. Two faces turned to him as Emily said, "Unless you're referring to what he said as he actually impregnated me, but surely Sirius, even you don't want to be privy to such intimate conversation."

"And, my dear, it would be hard to ascertain exactly which time that night we conceived the child and therefore the exact conversation."

"You're right as usual, Severus. He might find it tedious to hear _all_ of our conversation that night."

Sirius looked at the couple again and saw that Severus's hands were pressed against Emily's expanding middle. "Pregnant? You're having his kid, again?" Emily smiled and nodded.

The baby started making some decisive thumps again. Severus lifted one of his hands to tilt his wife's face back toward his own. Emily thought she would fall as the look in his eye melted her and his lips returned to hers. She was grateful for the wall at her back which gave her support, and her husband's neck, around which she had put her arms. She held on tighter as her knees grew weaker.

Sirius had never been so casually dismissed in his entire life. He was also feeling the slightly ill sensation similar to that of a teenager who comes upon his parents in a tender moment. It was unbelievable that Severus Snape had a better sex life than Sirius Black. The Animagus returned to his dog form and wandered away.

Eventually the baby stopped moving and Severus released his wife from his embrace, if only in order to return more quickly to Hogwarts. Emily insisted on one last stop. She went into the Three Broomsticks and had a hamper filled with a good dinner. They went out and looked through the alleyways until they found Padfoot again and gave him the hamper. "You looked very hungry. Please try to stay out of trouble and leave us alone, okay?"

The dog looked at Emily balefully but took the handle of the hamper in his mouth and wandered off. As they resumed their path toward the school, Severus groused. "You know that once you feed a stray you can never get rid of it..."

Emily laughed and said that it was a consolation prize of sorts. She suggested that they look ahead to what they would do with the rest of their afternoon alone in the dungeon. Distracted by this pleasing proposition, Professor Snape lengthened his stride to the fastest Emily could keep up with, and only put half his attention upon scowling at the students they passed along the way.

* * *

Margo Snape had just finished putting her hair into place as her date for the Yule Ball arrived. She wore very grown-up looking dress robes in black and dark green. They fitted her trim form nicely, although she wished there were some way to fill the top out a little more. "Don't worry, dear, that will come and with it a great deal of trouble," her mother told her, a little too cheerfully, Margo thought. Mum tried to distract her with some yarn about how she was sixteen before her figure filled out, but it wasn't much consolation tonight.

Mum herself looked quite womanly. She lacked nothing to fill out the top of her dress robes, although she was obviously pregnant and filled out the middle of them quite convincingly, too. Hers were midnight blue in color and tonight she seemed made to fit within Daddy's arm in his dress robes that were in unrelieved black.

Theodore Nott was really sweet, giving her flowers that he'd had owled in that day. "You look really nice," he said.

"Thank you." Margo blushed. She liked Theodore well enough. He kept to himself as much as she did. If it hadn't been really awkward, they might have been friends, but Margo tended to avoid the common room since Malfoy would practically sit on top of her if he were there and the other Slytherins treated her funny because of who her father was. Margo wondered idly if Neville and Ginny Weasley were having this awkward a moment but decided probably not. None of _their_ parents would be present.

* * *

Emily was exhausted and left the Yule Ball early, after dinner and only a dance or two with her husband. She had dozed on the sofa of the sitting room, but woke when Hope came in. They shared mugs of hot cocoa as she asked her daughter about the event.

It seemed that Draco Malfoy was still interested in Margo Snape. He took advantage of dancing with her to press for a closer relationship. He even mentioned that his parents had fixed up an arrangement with hers the previous summer, something Mum flatly denied on behalf of herself and Daddy. There would be no marriage contract for Margo Snape until Margo Snape wanted it. Hope had gone to her room in great relief and Emily was still up when Severus came to their quarters.

"How was the rest of the evening?" she asked.

"Which part? The part where I had to watch horny teenagers pawing each other, the part where Karkaroff wanted to compare Dark Marks, the part where Dumbledore wants to re-sort me, or the part where _your daughter danced with that boy?_"

"You may start where you like." Emily sat back on the couch and patted the seat next to her. Severus started pacing. "I take it you're not talking about Theodore Nott?"

"She danced with Nott several times and even with some of her other House mates. She's such a good little snake, sometimes, and does exactly what is expected of her. No, you know whom I mean. They only danced together once, very late in the Ball, and acted as if it were a dare from House mates. When they were together, though, you could tell that they're quite good friends. _Particularly_ good friends, Emily."

"They didn't--"

"No, they were quite circumspect, but it was all there in their posture. He held her—heaven help us, if he would only look after his potions the way he looked after her person! After tripping all over the Weasley girl, he danced with our daughter as if--" He paused. "And the last time I saw that look in a female eye, you were giving it to me as we danced, earlier."

Emily laughed. "Do you think we need to start negotiating the contract then?"

"This isn't funny, Madam!"

"Perhaps not." There was still humor in her voice. "I think, though, you might consider the possibility that this is just a passing romance and let it run its course."

"What if it doesn't pass?"

"Why are you so worried about this?"

"He can't possibly protect her! His skills are so badly wanting!"

"Wait a minute, Severus, you told me yourself about that Shield Charm he put up last spring, protecting your daughter and three other students from each other." His shoulders slumped just a slight bit. "You just told me that he took good care of her as they danced. Is it possible that he's becoming more capable than you give him credit for?"

"She shouldn't be with anyone unworthy of her."

"Do you honestly think our daughter, your daughter, Severus Snape, will love anyone who isn't worthy of her? She's as Slytherin as you are, you know. And why are we worrying about this at all? They're still so young."

"She's turning into a grown up woman before my eyes. Emily, I'm losing her."

"Don't rush it, and would you rather the alternative? We have to let life go at its pace."

"I don't have to like it."

"Come see what life is doing this very minute." She reached for his hand and pulled him down next to her. The baby was kicking and thumping quite hard just then. Severus buried his head in his wife's neck and breathed deeply. Emily continued, "I'll ignore the hormone-ridden teens, but what about Karkaroff?"

"Igor's Mark is getting darker, too. He wants me to tell him what to do. I think he intends to try to run away when he's summoned."

"That's not going to work, is it?"

"The Dark Lord as we knew him last was worse than the most jealous of lovers. I don't think anyone would survive running. You and the children, though..."

"We belong with our husband and father. I fear for you, Severus. I fear that he will be angry with you. You were so dismissive toward Quirrell."

"Dumbledore and I have discussed it. It will work out. We discussed Igor and then he said, 'Sometimes I think we sort too soon.' I think he meant that I should have been in some other House."

"With your skills, loyalty, and brilliance, you could have gone anywhere and been a success, but, Severus, you _are_ Slytherin House."

He worked his hand under Emily's robes to touch her belly. "Emily, I want you..."

"Hmm, we're in perfect agreement," she responded as she allowed him to guide her to their bedroom.

* * *

Hope was in her bedroom, staring at the door, thinking over what her parents had said about her. If only she had gone to the dorm instead of coming to her parents tonight! Mum had really wanted to talk about the Yule Ball, though. There was no reason not to come.

Daddy thought that she and Neville...it was too odd to consider. Yet, when they were dancing, wasn't it the best time she had all night? She told herself that was just because she could be with her friend in public for five precious minutes. _Wasn't it?_ It was just natural to enjoy his company. A small voice inside pointed out that it was a little bit thrilling, too. She found parchment and quill and started writing.

_Dear Lucky,_

_I now know exactly what my parents have been arguing about all this time. "That boy" wasn't your dorm mate after all. I don't think I can discuss it right now. It's all so strange and unsettling. I feel like that dream where the school staircases have moved under me but I didn't go with them when they moved and then I'm standing over open air. Have you ever had that dream?_

_You had asked for help with some of the potions ingredients. Since I won't be sleeping tonight, I'll tell you how they sort out..._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

He would notice that she hadn't mentioned their dancing together. That wouldn't do at all. She might as well use pink ink to draw a circle around the fact that she was thinking about it. She snorted and scowled. It might as well be a big pink **heart**, she mocked herself.

_PS: I enjoyed our dance together. It was nice to be able to be friends in public for a few minutes._

There, that was just right. Now she could give it to him at breakfast, somehow. When she finally lay down on her bed, she found she was sleepy enough to drift off. Maybe Mum could help her understand what she was thinking. No, Mum was laughing. Hope thought she was laughing at Daddy, but maybe she was laughing at Hope. Maybe... Grandma. Yes, Grandma would help her sort it out. Maybe she could go to London for the rest of vacation. The budding heart was much eased by the thought of that as she went to sleep at last.

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers debjunk and Istani. I hope there's enough Neville/Hope romance here for you. They're awfully young, still._

_Thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	51. Something New

_Disclaimer: Except for my OCs, the characters and world described in my story are the creation and property of JKR. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._

There were moments when Severus Snape could not stand to be in the same room with his wife. He knew she wasn't sleeping well, and he knew it was making her temperamental. He knew she was worried and that at the same time couldn't stand another moment of the baby even as she desperately wanted to hold the child in her arms. He could handle the rages and the tears from her exhaustion and inner conflicts, because that wasn't Emily as he knew her. It was just the work of circumstances and would pass in a few weeks.

What he couldn't stand were the moments when she was so condescending about his troubles. It was so false and put on that he wanted to jinx her mouth shut. He had experienced her understanding and soothing nature when she really applied herself to it and to have this counterfeit version was not acceptable. It was past annoying for her to smile at him so knowingly when he complained about his class with Potter that day, as if she was humoring him and his problems weren't real.

He went to his office to work on grading and lesson plans but discovered that someone had managed to break in. The night could not get worse. He went in search of Filch, to see if between them they could find the intruder. He was therefore prowling the castle when a piercing wail was heard in one hallway. Approaching the sound, he found Argus screaming for Peeves to be sent from the castle. He had apparently stolen one of the golden eggs the Triwizard Champions needed for the second task. The two men were arguing over the relative merits of apprehending the poltergeist or the intruder when the sound of an unmistakable walk approached from behind.

Apparently the night _could_ get worse as Snape's least favorite staff member came into view. A few minutes later it became clear that Potter was also somewhere close, perhaps on the stairs, in his father's invisibility cloak. When he pointed that fact out, Moody simply goaded him about his antipathy with the boy and his relationship to the Dark Lord. Severus looked at the older man curiously. Something about his comments and demeanor didn't quite ring true. After quite an argument with the Auror, Severus decided the dubious comforts of his own bedroom were preferable.

Emily was there, restless but her true self. She didn't say a word but just put out her arms and held her husband close. He didn't say a word either, but rested for a few minutes in the arms that always brought him comfort. The baby was moving so strongly that it could be seen through her nightgown. They watched and smiled. They couldn't remain in this position long because it soon became uncomfortable for the pregnant woman. They moved around so that Emily was on her side and Severus put his arms around her. Within minutes both were asleep.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I'm sorry that my notes haven't been as personal. As you know, I overheard my parents talking about something and I've had a hard time setting it aside. I had a long talk with Grandma about it and she wasn't as helpful as I had hoped. I thought she would be able to tell me the words that would make me forget all about it and stop worrying. Instead she said some things, once we realize them, don't go away. Maybe after a while it won't seem like a big deal, but I'll have to work through it. It's killing me that I can't talk to you about it, because before now I could tell you anything, but that's the problem. I just can't tell you this. Maybe I will when it doesn't seem like as big a deal, as Grandma says._

_That second task was amazing! Isn't Harry Potter quite the Gryffindor, trying to save not only his hostage but the others, too? It was nice that Diggory could finally pull something off, as the true Champion of our school. Krum seems a bit more human these days, I think. Daddy is furious. He says Potter obtained what he needed by stealing it and he plans to take that up with the Headmaster._

_Mum's time is getting close. She snaps a lot and then bursts into tears, saying that of course she didn't mean it. She said the last month or so of pregnancy is supposed to make a woman want labor just to get it over. Then she got all upset with herself for possibly making me fear childbirth and said that none of it's so bad, it's just that a lot of little things are troublesome all at once. Like I want to know too much about that until I'm actually interested in having kids. I do admit that I'm very interested in this brother or sister, though. I've gotten used to the idea and really can't wait to meet the little one after living with him or her in the abstract all this time. All of the clothes and paraphernalia are so cute, too. It will be fun to actually use that stuff._

_I'm sure you want your Potions questions answered, and that Transfiguration one, too. You know it's not a whole lot different from a Charm you showed me..._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

"You wished to see me, Severus?" The Headmaster looked over his spectacles at the Potions Master.

"Sir, I must protest Potter's use of Gillyweed. He stole it from my locked storage area."

"I have it on reasonable authority that he was still looking for a charm ten minutes before the Task."

"Nevertheless, he used something that was stolen, Albus. It's not the first time Potter has been involved in materials being stolen from that storage area. I'm fairly certain Potter was wandering the castle after curfew a few weeks ago, too."

"I've heard about your suspicions and you know that nothing can be proven. Have you considered that it has been stolen on his behalf, and not by him? Whatever you do to him in class this week, please refrain from giving him a detention over it."

"As you wish, Headmaster." Professor Snape scowled and turned to leave the office.

"Severus, sit down."

"Was there something else?"

"How is your mark?"

"It continues to grow stronger periodically. As we discussed, I assume it means the Dark Lord has taken some sort of corporal form but has not come to full power yet."

"What do you hear about it?"

"People like Malfoy are nervous, but will respond when summoned. Igor Karkaroff plans to run. He will not survive long. Too many people wish him ill after his testimony before the Wizengamot."

"And you, Severus?"

"Why do you ask? We have been planning my return to his service for years. I will do as we have discussed." His eyes were empty and his voice was resigned.

"It occurs to me that I never gave you the option of refusing. I never allowed you the choice to run. You have much to lose."

"I have just as much to lose if I run and am caught, and far higher chances of ruin to my entire family in that case, Albus." Severus peered intently at the Headmaster. "You've never discussed it with me in this light, before. Why now?"

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his eyes. He seemed quite tired. "I know now that it's really going to happen. People's lives will be affected by it."

* * *

A week or so after the second Triwizard Task, Professor Snape finished grading some essays and retired for the night, where he found his wife trying to get comfortable. As he undressed, he watched her shift her position twice. At her full pregnant size, this involved much planning and moving of pillows to match.

"Can't sleep?"

"I get my back comfortable, but then I can't really rest that way. I'm almost ready to try one of those potions my mother hates so much."

"Here, you know you'll be happiest on your left side. Why don't you let me rub your back for a few minutes?"

"If you think it will help."

Emily rolled onto her side as directed and Severus put a pillow under her right leg. Lifting her short night gown out of the way, he rubbed the small of her back and continued moving outward from there.

"I love what your fingers can do," she said. After a while, she pulled his hand around to rub someplace different. "Oh, Severus," Emily sighed with pleasure after a few minutes. She put her hands around his face and drew him around to kiss her. "This is what I need. Please continue."

"Are you sure? Isn't it too close to your time?"

"What could it possibly hurt?"

He massaged and kissed and caressed her more and her sighs and moans aroused him. Emily lacked the agility that she usually had, and they had to be very careful about their positioning, but they both felt the rising excitement of their love. It was not a long time before both were sighing their contentment. Emily fell asleep with a smile on her face and her husband's arms around her.

* * *

She woke him, a couple of hours later, by tossing around in her sleep, except that she couldn't toss very well. Her arms and head were tossing, while the rest of her was too uncomfortable to move. He could feel her stomach tightening hard under his hand and woke her.

"Emily, is it time?"

She murmured, "It hurts. Make it stop." Her face was all puckered and then it smoothed out. Severus felt the hardness under his hand soften. "That's better, thank you," she said.

Severus pulled her closer and got her comfortable again. Emily dozed off but he stayed alert, his hand firmly around her middle. Just about a minute passed when he felt the muscles of her body tighten to hardness again. Emily muttered in her sleep again.

"Emily. You need to wake up. Your contractions are very close together. We should get up to the Hospital Wing."

Between the pains, her husband, and the sudden rush of her water breaking, Emily came to alertness. She processed what he had said to her. "Did you time it?"

"About a minute from the end of one to the beginning of the next."

"They're too close together. Send some elves after Poppy and my Mum, please?"

Severus slid into a robe and then did as she asked. He came back to the bed and held her hand through another pain. For some reason things were progressing much more quickly than they should if labor was just starting. Emily looked up into her husband's face and hoped that he wouldn't mind what he would need to do if Poppy didn't arrive immediately.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey arrived just the baby latched on to his mother's breast for a first feeding and Severus was getting a blanket to warm him. She immediately took over guiding the mother through the afterbirth process and shooed Severus to the task of supporting his wife and admiring his son. Healer Smith arrived soon after. She took the baby for an exam and clean up and then discussed the labor with her daughter.

"So you woke up and you were already having contractions within two minutes of each other and you were at nine fingers?" Margo looked at her daughter in disbelief.

"That's what happened." Emily looked a bit defiant.

"Did you notice any pains or backache before then?"

"Well, I was really uncomfortable last night, but Severus rubbed my back..." Emily drifted off.

"What else happened, Emily?" Healer Smith looked sternly down as her daughter's face reddened. "You were intimate, weren't you?" Emily opened and shut her mouth. "Don't you realize that can speed things up dangerously? What were you thinking, Healer Snape?"

"I wasn't thinking like a Healer. I didn't realize, Mum. It wasn't anything like when Hope and Marcus were born. It wasn't so much different than the trouble I've had getting comfortable all week. I never dreamed it was labor."

Margo patted her daughter's hand. "All's well that ends well, dear. The baby is perfect and you are in good condition, too. I just hope you haven't traumatized your husband too much."

* * *

Professor Snape met his daughter just as she was leaving the common room for breakfast. She looked at him critically. He was _never_ this excited, even when torturing Gryffindors in detention. There could only be one thing...

"Mum's having the baby!"

"That's almost right. Brendon Tobias has invited you to breakfast with your mother and grandmother and myself."

"Already? It's a boy? I have a brother?"

"Yes to all three questions. You are excused from all of your classes today. Would you care to join us?"

"Oh, yes, Daddy!"

_A/N: The moms among us will point out that this was a very quick, very easy delivery. I thought that after the first two, Emily deserved an easy one._

_Thank you very much to reviewers excessivelyperky, debjunk, angstycryingbaby47, and Istani. Special thanks go to beta reader Mark Darcy. _

_I don't know if anything else will be going up this week, so I'll wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope that whatever holiday you might be celebrating this season is all you could wish for. If you miss me, I've got one chapter of a rather twisted SS/LE story posted, "The Child of Her Parents"._


	52. And So it Begins

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Lucky,_

_My new brother is really cute. Grandma says he has Grandpa's soft brown hair and blue eyes to go with Grandpa's name. Mum says he has the same nose as Daddy and me. Daddy says it goes with my other grandfather's name, since that's how a nose that shape got into the family. So his first name is the same as Mum's dad and his middle name takes after Daddy's dad._

_Mum says it's funny but as she takes care of the baby it's like she's reliving when I was a baby and the day my other brother was born. Whenever she puts the baby down or gives him to Grandma or Daddy, she tries to grab and kiss all over me. It was kind of nice the first two or eight times she did it, but enough is enough._

_She and Daddy have some new joke between them about the baby being born, too. I will not ask. I'm sure I don't want to know. Grandma just shook her head and said they were horribly irresponsible. That's not a word I would ever have thought to hear in relation to either of my parents and when I said so Grandma backed off. They really weren't irresponsible, just a bit foolish, she said._

_There's no telling what Potions will be like this week, but I'm sure we'll regret it if we slack off. You will definitely want to include the following notes in your essay to hand in._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Congratulations on the new brother. I'm not likely to ever get one, so I guess it's better late than never for you. I'm glad you gave me those notes about Potions. If I had not had them I would have been in worse trouble than I was today. Can you explain what made my potion spray out like that?_

_I'm glad it's so quiet lately. With one thing after another the past few years, it's always been hard to study right before finals. I don't know how Granger can be right in the middle of all the drama since we've been here and still study and do so well._

_I will be going home for the Easter Holiday. Are you planning to visit your grandmother then? I'm in serious trouble in Transfiguration again and could use some help._

_I have the Care of Magical Creatures notes you missed in class the other day and some notes on Herbology you might find useful. Didn't you miss that, too?_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

The Snapes were alone one evening, resting with the baby when Severus winced. Emily knew right off what it was. She touched the Mark on his arm gently.

"Is it getting stronger again, isn't it?"

"It won't be long before it's an actual call to go to him. Igor is becoming a pest, begging me to help him at every turn. It's not as though I am in control of this."

"How can he have the face to ask you for anything, after he tried to sell you for his own freedom before?"

"It's just what everyone did. Now it's back to what it was like before."

"Severus, I'm so frightened." Emily's eyes teared up.

"No, you're just very emotional after a long and exciting week."

"What if he doesn't accept your reasons--"

"I've talked it over with Dumbledore. We've discussed what my reasons are. He'll accept them."

"I want to tell you to run, but I know you'll be caught and killed if you do. I want to tell you to do whatever it takes to survive this, but I cannot ask you to be other than who you are. All I can do, Severus, is tell you I love you and that I'll always be waiting for you to come back."

"That's all I can ask from you, Emily."

"Do you think he will still want—I had thought I was barren, but obviously..." She held the baby tighter.

"There is no way to be certain. If he can come back from the dead, it seems unnecessary. An heir would simply be a rival in that context."

"What would you have me do, Severus?"

"Dumbledore would probably say that the ultimate goals of letting the boy grow up and of destroying the Dark Lord altogether are most important. It doesn't matter if a single wizard is left alive, as long as Potter survives to destroy the Dark Lord. I don't know if I'm willing to let you sacrifice yourself that way. I will not force you to do so."

"I cannot provoke him into killing you. He said before he would kill you and take me by force if necessary."

"Hopefully the choice will be obvious when you are called to make it. However it may happen, Emily, I love you and I know you will do only what is absolutely right."

* * *

Severus and Emily sat in the staff section of the stands during the final task of the Trwizard Challenge. Emily held Brendon in a baby sling which sheltered him from the wind. By the use of the sling and a carefully constructed robe, she was able to feed him at the necessary intervals. It was not an unpleasant evening. It was difficult to see much of what happened in the maze, but the actual Tri-Wizard Cup was visible and they would see the winner as he or she arrived to take it.

After a long while of watching somewhat carelessly and chatting with the other professors, Severus drew in his breath as Emily was distracted to the baby. "There's Diggory, but there's an Acromantula, and Potter's there, too, now."

Emily looked up and they watched, breathlessly as the two boys fought off the giant spider and then seemed to be arguing with each other. As they argued, they kept making waving motions to each other toward the Cup.

"Why doesn't one of them just take it?" Severus was disgusted. "I can only guess. Between Hufflepuff loyalty and Gryffindor honor, they both think the other deserves it more."

Finally both boys reached for the Cup together and suddenly the Cup and the boys disappeared.

"A Portkey!" said Emily in amazement. "Where can they have gone?"

"Moody offered to put the Cup in the maze. Somehow he's involved."

They watched and waited for some word. After about half an hour, Severus sat up and stretched his left arm out. His face turned completely white. Emily watched him and blinked her eyes hard. They shone strangely in the light of the torches around the field but she managed not to tear up and did give him a tremulous smile.

"Is it?" she asked.

"Yes, it's a proper summons. Somehow this is all connected. I need to get down to where Dumbledore and McGonagall are. I won't leave until he gives me the word. Come with me as far as the grounds?"

They walked down the stairs and were on the scene when the boys returned, one living but injured and the other dead. They walked to where the Headmaster was quickly giving directions.

"Severus, I need you and Minerva to help me with this. Emily, perhaps you can assist Diggory's parents?" With a squeeze of fingers the two went their separate ways.

Emily did what she could for the parents of the dead boy and left them to mourn privately with his House Head. She went to the dungeon to wait for she knew not what. Mechanically, she looked through her husband's closet and found two articles he would need soon. The baby slept in his cradle and she paced the sitting room until Severus arrived.

"The old fool made me shake hands with the mutt."

"With Padfoot?"

"No, at least he made Sirius transform to a human, but I had to pretend to be his friend and promise to work with him. I'm two hours late." He sighed. "You found my robe and mask?" He took them and looked at her. "Kiss me, Emily." He kissed her as hard as he could and looked into her eyes. "I will be back for more." Then, as Emily slid a vial into a pocket inside his robe, "What is this?"

Emily smiled sheepishly. "Some Muggles think it has all sorts of curative and restorative properties. Perhaps it will help to keep you safe."

Severus looked down on her and smiled indulgently. "Have you been reading _The_ _Lancet_ again?"

She turned red even as she shrugged. "The title of the article caught my eye. It might have been the _New England Journal of Medicine_."

"So we're not just trusting Muggles, but possibly American Muggles? I will take it, if only because it is like having a part of you with me." He gave her one last kiss and was gone.

Emily spent the next hour looking over her domain, making sure the laundry was as caught up as possible and that the family quarters were tidy. Then she readied the baby for the night, bathing and feeding him before putting him down. She decided at that point that her husband might return at any time, so she summoned some house-elves to keep watch over the sleeping baby, grabbed a cloak, and went out into the school grounds.

She was met at the gates by the Headmaster.

"Is he likely to return here, then?"

"I have Hagrid watching for him around the edges of the forest, too." The Headmaster seemed unbelievably old. He was quiet for a while and when he began speaking again, it was almost as if to himself. "When you told me it was as if there is something living in that scar, I believed you. Thirteen years I have been dreading this day, when you were proven right. Voldemort was kept alive by it and now he has returned to human form, perhaps not fully, but full enough."

He sighed and looked around the beauty of the night time landscape around them. "I ask too much, Emily, and I don't allow people to refuse. Many years ago I had a true love. For the sake of that love I allowed my sister to be killed. She was so sweet, with eyes just like your Hope's. I'm sure it was an accident, but I'll never know...my brother never forgave me..."

He looked around at Emily again. "My love and I were forced to separate and then years later it became clear that my love's activities were the source of a rising evil. I was forced to fight and overpower my true love, to reduce to a bitter shell what was once so beautiful to me...

"I expect everyone to be willing to jump in and do the same, forgetting that I put off my own evil day for years. I thought maybe the passion would fade and it would be easier...I finally realized I couldn't wait for that. Lives were being destroyed and lost. You had to risk your true love tonight, Emily. Severus is not likely to have a more dangerous moment than the one he faces now. How did you send him off?"

"With a smile and a kiss. I didn't want him to worry about me in midst of the task he had."

"Good girl. I have manipulated your husband; I admit it. We need what he will do for us, desperately. So much depends upon his success tonight."

Emily couldn't answer. It was hard to be angry at the man standing beside her, who was almost as worried about her husband as she herself was. He was almost as worried, a voice said inside her, but was it because he had affection for Severus or because of what it would mean to his plans? Suddenly it was hard _not_ to be angry. She glanced at the older wizard. It was an odd moment; he was somewhat unguarded. Perhaps the affection and the need were so entwined that he couldn't sort it out, either.

_A/N: __Thank you to reviewers Istani, williammoseleysgirl, and excessivelyperky. I hope those of you who have been busy over the holidays have had a great time and find these few chapters to be a nice treat! Thanks so much to Mark Darcy, whose beta reading really makes my work so much better._


	53. Back to the Shadows

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._

"Master, I apologize for the delay." Severus knelt and kissed the hem of the robe before him.

"And here is my servant who I thought lost to me forever, returned, after all this time? _Crucio!_"

Had it always felt this way? Had he grown soft in all those years? Perhaps, or possibly the Dark Lord had many years of rage and anger to release as he punished what he considered to be transgressions against him.

"I called for you two hours ago, Severus, where have you been? And what have you been doing all of these years, when you might have helped me? Enjoying the comforts and delights to be found in the bosom of your wife and family, no doubt?"

"Human weakness, Master. We felt such grief the day you were taken from us, and right away our son was born, too soon. He did not survive his birthday. Death Eaters were arrested right and left, I was accused, and by the time it was all over, I could not find a trace of you anywhere."

"I don't think you looked hard enough. _Crucio!_"

"No, Master," he gasped out. Oh, the agony. How did he deal with it before?

"And why did you thwart Quirrell and me?"

"Quirrell seemed so unworthy, it made no sense. If I had realized, if you had given me a sign, I would have behaved differently..."

"Perhaps." It was a different curse this time and he felt a pain in his arm. "Why are you so late tonight?"

"Master, I was protecting my role with Dumbledore. The fool thinks he sent me to you, just now. I also have information based on tonight's events."

"Well?"

Severus straightened up to take the chair he was offered. "I was there as Potter returned with the Diggory boy. I heard his story of your rebirth and I saw Cornelius Fudge himself refuse to believe it."

"Truly?"

"Yes, and I regret to tell you that Barty Crouch has been kissed by a Dementor. He told a story of working for you this entire school year to Dumbledore, but Fudge didn't hear it. Before Fudge could ask any questions of Crouch, the Dementor came..." It was hard to describe what he had seen. Voldemort caught a glimpse of the memory as Severus brought it forth.

"My most loyal servant all these years, reduced to uselessness... Fudge will pay. You have brought useful information, Severus. Dumbledore stands alone, then, and the Ministry will not help him?"

"He's gathering his Order together, but they are scattered to the winds."

"Scattered to the winds...While my own circle has come to surround me this night with very little exception. I shall have a mighty advantage, made greater by your information, Severus. And you are well placed in your surroundings?"

"They do not suspect a thing. They think I spy for them on you."

"Ah, that's gratifying. How is the delectable Emily? I assume by now you know of my plans for her. I hear she was delivered of a son recently?"

"Yes, Master. The boy thrives and she does well."

"I was unaware of it before tonight. A year ago when Wormtail came to me, I assembled ingredients of a potion Quirrell found for me while at Hogwarts. I used snake venom but another substance would have served better. It's a shame I didn't know of your wife's pregnancy. I might have waited under the circumstances for the other substance as it would have restored me to a more human form. Up until now I required snake venom just to keep me in that form."

Severus realized what he meant and pulled out the vial Emily had given him, offering it to the person before him. He was startled by the laugh that came from the lipless mouth.

"Such devotion! I see you are my servant after all to make such an offer. Unfortunately I cannot use it, now. I shall have to wait until I am finally able to kill Potter. One last spell and then I shall be ready to get my heir." Severus hoped his face showed the proper reluctant acceptance of this dictate. "Don't worry, Severus, you will be compensated at that time."

"Yes, Master."

"My thoughts turn to the prophecy you brought me so many years ago. I wish to re-enter your memories."

Severus prepared for the pain of the Dark Lord's Legilimency, feeling his mind ransacked as ever in a search for more information. Fortunately or unfortunately he had none to give.

"It becomes clear that you did not hear it all, Severus. A shame. The remainder may hold the clue of how to destroy the Potter boy once and for all. You have failed me in this." He used the Cruciatus Curse one last time, although less strongly than before. It was odd that the red eyes could have an almost loving look in them as he applied the torture this time.

"You have served me well this night, Severus. Continue to raise Death Eaters for me and bring me information such as you have brought tonight. You could become my most trusted servant after all, more valuable than my circle of Death Eaters, to which you do not belong."

Snape bowed again and backed out of the room. It took all the self control he had left to rise and stride purposefully to where he could Apparate. He ached in every joint from the curses, his head was pounding from the search it had received, and what exactly had been done to his arm? His own thoughts turned toward Emily and comfort.

* * *

As the Headmaster and the Healer watched, a shape formed just outside the gate. Dumbledore opened the gate and Emily slipped through it, just in time to catch her stumbling husband. She turned and brought him with her inside the school grounds and onto the path that would most quickly bring them to their own quarters.

"Do you need help?" asked the Headmaster.

"We Healers have our methods," answered Emily, simply.

"I had thought my office--"

"You are welcome to join us, Albus, but I'm taking him to the comforts of his own surroundings." She practically tossed the words over her shoulder. The man in her arms gave half a chuckle and then a gasp of pain. Sometimes there was no arguing with Emily and one simply did as she said.

Dumbledore sent a message to Hagrid that Severus had arrived by the gate and followed the Snapes into the castle. Emily brought Severus into their quarters and helped him lie on the couch, then went and gathered her supplies. It was sadly odd how easily this pattern returned to her. Emily cast her charms and used her ointments, asking a quiet question here and there while her husband and Dumbledore discussed what had happened with the Dark Lord and how it affected the future. Severus left out the portions concerning Emily, feeling they were unnecessary to the Headmaster.

"So he seeks the prophecy," Dumbledore mused. "We shall have to protect the record and the Seer. The only person to hear it in full is me, so I think we are covered there."

"He thinks you are alone and weak, while he is surrounded by his Death Eaters," said Severus. "He assumes he can control much due to the ignorance of the Ministry."

"He's not wrong on that last score. Cornelius will be extremely difficult to work with next year." The Headmaster stood. "You are no doubt exhausted from your work tonight, and Emily is holding your sleeping potion and looking daggers at me. We can discuss more tomorrow if need be, Severus."

"Good night, Headmaster."

Emily guided her husband into the bedroom and helped him with his night time arrangements. She had just gotten him settled in when Brendon demanded her attention. She sat on the bed next to her husband and fed the baby as Severus watched in pleasure.

"You may have been right about that vial you gave me. It may have saved me, after all."

"What did you do with it?"

"I offered it to him. He was discussing ingredients of the potions he used to take shape again and said that it was unfortunate that he didn't know you would be having a baby."

"What did _he_ do with it?" Emily wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"He didn't take it, but he thought that if I would offer something like that, given to me by my wife, that it was a show of great loyalty to him."

"Hmmm...I don't think the Muggle journals would consider turning away the wrath of maniacal wizards to be in the same league as the effects they've published."

Severus smiled. "If he succeeds in destroying Potter, he will want you, but not before. Then you will have to decide."

"Is there a decision to be made, Severus? Are we to survive at all costs, like the Malfoys, or do we have a preference in this fight? Is one side truly better than the other, or do we play both sides against the middle and hope for a better day?"

Severus put his hand over the baby's head. "We have Hope to consider, and we have this young prince. He thinks of them as future Death Eaters and instructed me to provide him with more. Is it better to ensure their lives as servants of such evil or to work at risk of their lives but provide them a world without such horror as we have witnessed?"

"I suppose we know the answer but are too tired to acknowledge it."

He dozed as the baby nursed. Emily looked down upon her son and over to her husband, feeling safe for the moment but worrying a bit about the next summons. After a while her nipple was released and the little face scrunched into her breast shifted. She patted him on the back, bringing up a bubble as she carried him to the crib in the next room and then returned to the bed.

"Is the baby down?"

"Yes, he should sleep for around six hours, now."

He waited until she got into the bed and then rested his head against her in the way that he always found comforting. She held him to her with one arm while with the other she summoned a hankie. She watched as he slept. The small cloth caught the tears she would never let him see.

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers debjunk, Istani, and excessivelyperky. Thank you, williammoseleysgirl, for your kind review; I hope your essays are not suffering from the time you are spending on my story! Best wishes on your applications!_

_Thank you, as always, Mark Darcy, for beta reading._


	54. The Tournament Ends

_Disclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Lucky,_

_I think Daddy must have been sick. Mum's been keeping him in their rooms for the past few days. I guess it's just as well that classes and exams are over. She lets him grade papers and exams, but that's it. Mum herself seems to be a bit off lately, too. Grandma says maybe it's just the sense of letdown women get a few months after having a baby. It's kind of like the way she was a year ago while the Dementors were at the school._

_Things seem so quiet since the Third Task of the Tournament. Half the time it's as if Potter has disappeared from the face of the earth. I only catch glimpses of him now and again with Granger and Weasley. It must have been hard seeing Diggory get killed. I know we saw that spell in DADA, but it can't be the same as seeing it used on an actual person like that._

_I'm looking forward to the summer holidays. We'll be going to the beach again but then I'll be at Grandma's house for a few weeks and we can see each other at the hospital. The baby will look really cute in the summer clothes Mum has been getting him._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Gran barely waited until we got in the house to tell me that Barty Crouch, the man who impersonated Professor Moody, was one of the people arrested for attacking my parents. Professor Dumbledore wrote her that he and his parents had fooled the Dementors and gotten him free from Azkaban years ago. I guess with Sirius Black that's two criminals the Dementors managed to lose._

_I feel ill. He was so kind to me after that first class and I kind of liked him. Now it turns out that he was at least there when my parents were tortured, even if he wasn't actually torturing them himself. He gave me that great book about magical aquatic plants but that was so my dorm mate could get information for the Tournament._

_Am I doomed to be a dupe all my life? I asked Gran. She snorted and told me not to be so trusting of people. Great Uncle Algie sort of smiled and ruffled my hair when I asked him. Why can't I be more like a Weasley, or Harry Potter?_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

Hope held the parchment to her nose. It smelled like the tang of peat moss and of a garden on a warm summer day. She closed her eyes and remembered when she was little, running barefoot through Grandma's back garden in bright sunshine. Things lived and _grew_ when Neville got near them. Maybe it didn't seem important during a war, if Mum and Daddy and Dumbledore were right and a war was happening, but it must be good to have that effect on things.

She sighed as she glanced out the window at the squall that had blown in from the sea. Mum and Dad were in their room. They both seemed a bit subdued, lately, but the "Summer of Love" did not appear to be over. Brendon was pulling himself around on the floor at her feet using just his hands. Mum said he would actually be crawling before too long. Hope reached for her quill and started a letter to Neville.

_Dear Lucky,_

_I don't think you're doomed to be anything. You are a very kind and open person. If occasionally you get taken in by it, at least it does some good at other times. You're so smart with Herbology, and your plants always seem the happiest in the greenhouse, if plants can be happy._

_If it wasn't for you, I don't think I would have a friend in the world. You're kind, and loyal, and when push comes to shove, you're very brave. It took a lot to put up that shield charm last year, and I know you've stood up to people at other times, too, at great personal risk. I'm glad I can call you my friend, even if I can only whisper it to myself. If you like, I will tell you that in person next week when I'm visiting at the hospital with Grandma._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope _

She sealed the scroll and walked over to Gareth's cage. She could tell Neville a great deal more, she was discovering, about how alive she always felt when she was near him and what a thrill it was to dance together at the Yule Ball. She _could_ tell Neville those sorts of things, but she wasn't going to do so any time soon. She was only fifteen, after all, and Neville wasn't even that, quite yet. They still had three years left of Hogwarts to go and then maybe they could admit they were friends, let alone anything else, if there was anything else to be by then. That Abbott girl was awfully cute.

A/N: OK, so it's a short one, but this bit didn't go at all with what came before it, nor really with what comes after. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to slow down posting for a bit. It's been pointed out that I have the dog barking up a really inappropriate tree and I need to straighten that part out. I also need to decide what to do with the dog at the end of book five's timeline. Does anyone have an opinion on Sirius's fate? You know what to do if you have.

Thank you to reviewers williammoseleysgirl, excessivelyperky, Istani, debjunk, and angstycryingbaby47. Special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy.


	55. Headquarters

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhaibt are the creation and property of JKR. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

The Snapes stood in a dingy sort of neighborhood, their backs to a run-down square. They had been brought here by Remus Lupin, who checked his watch and looked around expectantly. A few other witches and wizards showed up, too. After a few minutes, the streetlights started going out. When the street was in near complete darkness, Albus Dumbledore stood before them. He looked at everyone and took a sort of attendance.

When he ascertained that everyone was present and was indeed who he said he was, Dumbledore spoke quietly, but so that everyone could hear him. "The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

As they watched, a house became visible between numbers eleven and thirteen, squeezing them aside as it grew to be visible. Dumbledore tapped on the door. The door opened to show Sirius Black, his finger to his lips. Everyone filed in as quietly as possible. Dumbledore clicked an object that looked like a cigarette lighter and the lights all went back into the street lamps.

The need for quiet quickly became clear. Nymphadora Tonks tripped over the carpet in the hallway and slammed into the wall with a thud. Immediately a grim looking woman in a portrait came screaming to the foreground and started hurling imprecations upon the crowd in the hallway.

"My mother," said Sirius quietly to everyone. "Here, the best room to meet in is the kitchen. Remus knows the way." People started filing behind Lupin while he stayed behind to quiet the portrait.

As they arrived in the kitchen, Albus Dumbledore took Emily's elbow. "Emily, are you still decided against joining the Order?"

"I'm a Healer, Albus. We don't take sides; it would compromise our integrity in healing those who come to us. I will be here to help the Order insofar as I can, but I cannot join. Besides," she gestured to the small head just visible under her cloak, "I have company with me."

The blue eyes looked seriously at her. "I hope you are not forced to make a decision you would rather not make. However, I respect your reasoning. I think Sirius has a room you can wait in with Brendon while we meet."

"Thank you, Albus."

The voice in the hallway finally ceased and Sirius came and led Emily to a small sitting room. "It's not the big parlor. That room is still quite infected with whatever Kreacher allowed in here. Remus and I have made this room livable, though. Make yourself comfortable, Emily. Do you need anything?"

"No, Sirius, we shall be fine. Thank you."

Emily took off her cloak and sat in an overstuffed chair. She checked on the small body pressed close to her own. Brendon was waking from sleep and rooting around. He often took a long feeding at this time of night. She unfastened her robe and let him nurse. The chair she was sitting in was quite comfortable for this purpose, with well-padded armrests at just the right level to support the baby and a headrest that curved right around her head. She wondered if any other mothers had used it in this way.

The rest of the room was equally cozy. There was a cheerful fire in the grate, providing just the right amount of warmth. A couch to match the chair was near the fireplace, against one wall. There was a table with an elaborate set of Wizard chess pieces upon it, halfway through a game. In a far corner was a desk, heaped with books. Emily smiled. That must be where Remus studied and worked.

"There she is, the blood traitor who thought herself too good for Mistress's son. Married to the half-blood and here she is with her half-blood spawn."

Emily looked up at the house-elf who was before her. "You must be Kreacher. It's nice to meet you."

The house-elf acted as if he didn't hear her, but his words betrayed the truth. "The blood traitor speaks to Kreacher. Should Kreacher punish himself for listening to her? What would Kreacher's Mistress say?"

"I wish you wouldn't. I hear you were very good to Regulus."

"Did Mistress Blood Traitor know Master Regulus?"

"Not very well, mostly through what Sirius told me. He was grateful for what you could tell him about his brother's death. Sirius loved Regulus."

Kreacher couldn't process this and started backing out of the room. "Does Mistress Blood Traitor have any requests for Kreacher?"

"No, thank you, Kreacher, you have been most kind."

This sent the house-elf muttering out of the room again, leaving Emily to her own thoughts. After a while the baby stirred and fussed some more. He had finished with one breast and was looking for the other. Emily patted and rubbed his back to coax a burp out of him and then settled him down again. She was starting to feel the relaxation and sleepiness that nursing brought to her. She settled the blanket over the baby and wriggled comfortably into the chair, drawing her legs up under her.

The past month had been a bit of a nightmare. Severus had been summoned by the Dark Lord twice. He apparently had little aim other than making sure Severus would always come and come quickly. Very little information had been gathered for or by either side so far. It was as if the two sides were circling, taking the measure of each other.

It was turning Severus into a somewhat different person. A certain hardness had come over him even as he seemed almost exhilarated to finally be working at the task he had known was coming. Emily was sure that it was a sort of emotional protection against the horrors he saw and experienced at the Death Eater's meetings. He was not given the same privileges as the true Death Eaters, but he was often expected to at least witness the excesses of that group's destructiveness.

Emily was a little sad to see the difference. It was pretty minor, and well worth it if it helped him and kept him safer. With luck, Hope wouldn't notice it. She settled a little deeper into the comfort of the chair and the sense of wellbeing caused by feeding the baby.

"Motherhood suits you."

Emily opened her eyes drowsily. Brendon was still firmly clasped within her arms, but he had wriggled around and gone to sleep, dropping the blanket onto the floor and leaving her completely exposed. Sirius was standing in the doorway; Emily squealed and covered herself.

"How long were you standing there?"

"I don't know. Was it a minute or days? When one comes upon something like this, he doesn't check his watch..."

"Sirius! Really!"

"Just for a minute, Emily, and may I just say--"

"No, you may not." Emily's face was red and she was feeling a bit humiliated.

He sighed and looked away. "Well, then, I just need to let you know that the meeting is over, but your husband is still talking with Dumbledore. I'll be off, then."

"Don't be silly. This is your sitting room, after all. So is this your family home?"

He walked into the room and sat on the couch. "Yes, the whole crumbling mass of it. It's not decaying physically so much as that the decay of dark magic has been set upon it. Molly Weasley is going to move in here with her brood. She intends to bring some order to the place. I wish her luck with it."

Emily smiled and looked at her baby, who stirred a little in his sleep.

"So why won't you join the Order?"

"We went through this years ago, Sirius. I can't appear to take sides."

"Lily did."

"I can't comment on another woman's choices. I will say that she didn't really understand the culture at St. Mungo's. I was born to it."

"Fancy you having pure-blood attitudes after all!"

"No, that's not it, Sirius. Members of my family have been healers for several generations. We were taught the lore and expectations of it as children. Healers simply do not take sides. Lily didn't have that advantage. She might have felt differently than she did if she had been raised with the understanding that I was."

"I see." He nodded and was quiet for a while. "Emily, I had wanted to say that you looked so right sitting there, with your child in your arms. I will never see that chair in quite the same way. If I have any regret in my life, it's that I didn't consider the possibility of having something like this with you until it was too late."

"You never really considered, it, Sirius."

"You're wrong, Emily. I did want it. I still do. I'm sure I would be terrible at it and that I have a lot to learn, but I want it. Seeing you tonight, in _my_ sitting room...It never occurred to me before how incredibly sexy a woman can be as a wife and mother."

"Ah, Black, I see you plan to spend this war sitting home and chatting up the witches while others go out and actually fight." Severus was now standing in the doorway.

"Look, Snape--"

Emily saw nothing good that could come from the conversation starting and broke in. "Severus, if you're done here, we need to get back to Mum's house. There's no telling what mischief our daughter has gotten into with her grandmother."

"It would appear, Emily, that our host has something to discuss with me."

Emily could see a latent irritation growing on Sirius's face and was aware of Remus haunting the hallway behind her husband. She took a breath and tried a different tack.

"Severus, I hate to interrupt your conversation and I don't like to discuss it in front of these gentlemen, but I was hoping we could get home early enough to..." She broke off the sentence and blushed, looking into his eyes, willing him to accept her invitation.

He looked into her memories and caught a glimpse of a changing room and a new nightgown. "Ah, I didn't realize, my dear. I agree that we should get home." He turned and glared at his host. "It appears I have a previous engagement. If you have something to say, Black, we can discuss it at a later time."

* * *

Some time later Severus collapsed onto his wife, the new black lace nightie bunched up around her neck. They had attacked each other as soon as Emily had finished changing.

"Emily, I shouldn't have been like this. I should have—"

She put her fingertips over his mouth. She was still catching her breath. "I wanted it just as much as you did. There must be something about that house."

"I thought it was seeing Black and Lupin. They get under my skin and it really—"

"Brings out the animal in you?" said Emily, mischievously.

He laughed and then became serious. He rolled to his side and helped her straighten her nightgown. "Emily, it's the way you let him talk to you. Everything he says is a proposition."

"Of course it is. He doesn't even know he's doing it, really. It comes to him like breathing."

"It's part of the entire picture. I'm not the same these days. I know it. I'm becoming harder, angrier. This," he said as gestured to the bed, "is becoming more common. Don't tell me you haven't noticed. This isn't the man I want to be."

She held his face in her hands and kissed him tenderly, on his lips, on his eyes and nose and then along the sides of his face. "I've noticed. I think you need it, Severus, to protect yourself as you do your work."

"I don't want to be like this. If only..."

"Don't think about it like that. You do what you need to do, to get through this and come home. We will worry about what we want it to be like when we have the luxury. For now, just do what must be done to come back to me."

"Fate was smiling upon me the day you pulled me into your bedroom."

"We can only hope that she will continue to smile. Meanwhile," Emily said as she kissed her husband's hands and slid them around her body, "I think we can show ourselves that we're still capable of sweetness, and romance, and tenderness..." She shimmied closer to him and started kissing with her lips as her hands stroked and caressed his concerns away, at least for the night. As the black lace floated to the floor he discovered that he was lost in the gentle warmth of their love and had no wish to be found.

_A/N: Thank you to Istani, debjunk, williammoseleysgirl, angstycryingbaby47, and excessivelyperky for your reviews. I also appreciated the comments on the subject of Sirius. I'm fairly certain what will happen at the end of the book five timeline. We'll have to see what everyone thinks about it when it eventually posts._

_Thank you very much to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	56. The Naughty Older Man

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the timeline of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_.

Neville Longbottom and Margo Snape were helping the head gardener at St. Mungo's transplant some herbs. They had started spending more and more time in the greenhouses, since their grandmothers let them do so and they could be mostly alone to talk. Margo was worried about her parents.

"Daddy's not quite himself lately. He's more like when he's teaching, a bit colder and angrier. He goes out a lot to some sort of meeting, too. Mum says everything is fine and she smiles and is really cheerful around him, but she watches him every minute. I wish I knew what was going on, but sometimes, right after he leaves, I see Mum's face and I'm glad I don't know."

"They just don't want you to worry. I know the Healers keep trying to help my parents. Gran gets a look in her face when she talks to them—the Healers, that is—and I know she doesn't want me to get my hopes up."

Margo put down her spade and looked up suddenly. "I think it has to do with You-Know-Who, what Daddy's been doing. I think he goes and does something dangerous. I know they're talking about it."

Neville looked at her seriously. "We believe Dumbledore and Harry. We believe that he's come back, just like Harry said. Gran says that if Cornelius Fudge is trying to hide it, then it proves it's true. She says Fudge doesn't have the sense that fate gives a garden gnome."

"So if it comes to it, will you fight, Neville?" Margo looked worried.

"Won't you?" Neville's voice was challenging.

"I'll do anything to help my family," Margo said, "and friends," she added.

Neville finished tapping down the peat moss around the plant he had just potted. "So you know how it is, then."

They worked quietly for a while. Neville watched Margo on the sly. She wasn't a natural at working with plants, but she learned quickly and her fingers were careful. She had the same economy of movement that she had in everything. It wasn't exactly graceful, but it gave the impression of grace. Her face was charming and her form, if a bit youthful, was interesting. It was a shame that she wasn't his type.

Margo watched Neville from time to time, too. He had started growing taller and didn't seem chubby any more, and there was something about him that wasn't there before. Maybe when she was older she would know how to put it. He was starting to feel comfortable in his skin was the best way to describe it. He knew who he was and what he was good at and wasn't quite so worried about what he wasn't.

It was too bad that she wasn't his type. She had seen him when Hannah Abbott was around. Anyone could see that those pink cheeks and blond hair were exactly what boys like Neville wanted, not to mention a more womanly silhouette. Watching the boys around Fleur Delacour certainly sold the point at school last year.

The hospital chime for the changing shift rang. "I'd better get going," said Margo. "Grandma will want to get me home soon, and I want to see my parents tonight before they have to do whatever it is they've been doing, lately. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you," answered Neville as they hung up their smocks and washed their hands. They went down different stairs, he toward the guest entrance and she toward the one the staff used.

Hope was met at the employee entrance not by her grandmother but by her mother, who explained that Grandma had a scheduling conflict. The family would be moving to the Spinner's End house sooner than usual. They Flooed there to find that dinner was ready. Hope would need to go with her parents to that meeting they went to, tonight. She sat at the table with some excitement. Perhaps she would finally find out what was going on.

Mum practically timed Hope as she ate her dinner and then told her to wear her cloak that covered her face. Daddy held her hand to Apparate as Mum Apparated with Brendon. Before she knew it, Hope was in a dingy sort of neighborhood in London that had clearly seen grander times. It was hard to tell for sure, though, since all the streetlights were out.

Headmaster Dumbledore was there. "Ah, Hope. Welcome to our headquarters. Come quietly, all of you." They walked into one of the dingy houses and he spoke again. "Potter made it here, after his rather eventful week. Severus, based on what we've discussed, your report tonight is extremely important. We've gathered all of the Order that can be spared from their other duties. I want them all to hear it from you. Emily, it may be a while."

Mum nodded her head and led Hope to a small sitting room. There was a fire in the fireplace and several chilled drinks on an end table near an overstuffed chair. Mum chuckled. "That Sirius, still trying to be charming. Well, would you like some juice? If I understand what Albus just said, Harry Potter is now here. That means he has joined the Weasley children and Hermione Granger. I'm sure you're welcome to join them in the larger drawing room."

"Mum, you're such a Ravenclaw." Hope rolled her eyes and then turned to look hungrily at the bookcases. "They're all _Gryffindors_. Don't you know what that means? If I hung out with them and it ever got around, they would string me up in the common room."

Mum calmly took out her knitting. "Isn't Neville a Gryffindor?"

"No one is ever going to find out we're friends."

"Couldn't it be the same way with these other kids?"

"Mum, you don't get _anything_, do you?" Hope found a copy of _Advanced Astronomical Calculations_ and sat in a corner of the sofa, signaling an end to the conversation.

Mum knitted, a pleasant look on her face. She always said that she did a better job if she thought nice things about the person she was knitting for. Brendon played for a while on the carpet. Hope read and glanced at the bookcase. Some of the books on the top shelf had interesting-sounding titles.

"Mistress Blood Traitor has returned, and brought a young blood traitor with her."

Mum looked up and smiled. "Good evening, Kreacher. Thank you for bringing me refreshments tonight. This is my daughter, Margo."

"Ungrateful son of a Master insisted. Does Mistress Blood Traitor need anything else?"

Mum smiled. "No, Kreacher, we're quite comfortable. You are most kind."

This seemed to set off the house-elf, as he exploded into odd and derogatory comments and left the room.

After a while, Brendon worked his way toward Mum and started fussing. She smiled and picked him up and settled him to nurse. Mum was very careful to make sure she was well covered and then dozed off while the baby ate and Hope paged through her book.

"Ah, the entire Snape family graces my humble sitting room. What an honor! I take it you are Margo? The last time I saw this young lady, Emily, she was almost in the same position that her brother holds now, was she not?"

Mum blushed. "Sirius..."

Hope looked up. She saw a skinny man about Daddy's age but looking older and more worn. She knew from pictures she had seen that this was Sirius Black.

"This is your sitting room?" asked Hope. "So it's your house, then?"

"Yes to both questions, but where are our manners? I am the infamous Sirius Black, and may I assume that you are the charming Margo Snape?" The wizard held out his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Miss Snape. How do you do?"

"I do very well, thank you, Mr. Black. So are these all your books?" Margo gestured to the bookcase.

"Yes, they are, except for some that belong to Remus Lupin, Professor Lupin to you, I believe."

"Even the books on the top shelves?"

Mr. Black gave Emily a sidelong glance and cleared his throat. "Yes, those are mine."

"Could you tell me then, what exactly is cyoon, no, cunnil--"

He cleared his throat again. "Ah, if I were eighteen or twenty years younger, I would offer to show you. I _could_ explain it to you..." His hopeful voice trailed off. He realized that the look in the eye of the girl's mother would have frozen Fiendfyre. He suddenly looked like the tired older man he was. "Perhaps not. Let's leave those books on the top shelf alone. They're for naughty older men, not for charming young ladies like yourself."

There was an uncomfortable silence, which Mum broke gently. "Is Severus speaking with the Headmaster, then?"

"Yes, and Kingsley. They are preparing for the enemy to make a serious attempt."

She held up her hand. "If I haven't been given such details by now, perhaps I shouldn't hear them."

"Emily, _why_ won't you join the Order?"

"I've told you, and I've told Dumbledore. I need to maintain at least a semblance of neutrality as a Healer."

"Other Healers have succeeded. Em, there's something else, isn't there?"

Mum glanced at Margo, who was trying to look occupied in her book. "I'm in a somewhat precarious position. There are plans that involve me. I don't wish to do anything that could make them worse. You can't possibly know—"

"It's true then, the rumor that I heard?"

"It depends upon where you heard it."

"From my dear cousin Bella, back before it all happened. She was furious at me for somehow not preventing its possibility."

"You have probably heard correctly, then."

"Em, how do you stand the idea? Why don't you just run away?"

Hope chanced looking up from the book. Mr. Black was kneeling in front of the chair and his voice was serious, completely lacking the humor of just a few minutes before. Mum's eyes were a steely shade of blue-gray that Hope rarely saw. Every line in Mum's face was intense. "What happens to my loved ones if I run away? My husband can't come with me and what would happen to him? Sirius, I will do whatever is necessary to protect my family from harm. Even if it involves _that_."

The baby stirred. Mum's face softened as she modestly sorted herself out and patted a bubble out of Brendon. Mr. Black stood and sat in a nearby chair before he started again.

"Have I told you, Emily Smith, er, Snape, how very natural you look as a mother, caring for your children? Say the word, Em, and whatever means the Black family fortune commands will be at your disposal. You could run away and hide for decades."

"Ah, Black, you are incorrigible. You cannot spend five minutes with my wife without propositioning her." Hope looked up and saw that Daddy was in the doorway, now.

"I was merely—"

"For once, Black, I almost agree with you. At least I appreciate your sentiment of wanting my wife to be some place safe."

"If I might be permitted to have an opinion, as the wife in question, I do not need to hide anywhere at this time, and it's rather late for young people."

Daddy gave her a funny smile. "Quite right, my dear. It's time to get home." He turned and looked at Hope. "Well, Little Girl, are you ready to leave this noble and _distinguished_ house?"

She saw that Mum had already risen from her chair and was fastening her cloak over the baby, so she got her own cloak and followed her father. Mum stayed behind a moment to speak with Mr. Black. "I know you lost twelve years, Sirius, and you're now surrounded by people and things that remind you of Hogwarts years, but you are no longer a teenager. You need to remember that. You also need to watch what you say around our daughter. My husband will give you neither a detention nor a warning if he thinks you have tampered with her. He will act, decisively and quickly."

"I'm sorry, Em. I spoke without thinking. For a moment there, I was with the young Emily and none of this had happened..."

"With Harry Potter in your home, you feel like you're with James again, don't you?"

He looked chagrined.

She changed her tone. "Thank you, Sirius, for the refreshments. I might request that you modify your library a bit in case my daughter comes with me again, just as a precaution."

"I live to please you, Em."

"In that case you can cut out the excessive charm, too."

"Now that's just cruel. You might as well send me back to Azkaban."

"Now, Sirius, you know that joke is in bad taste. No one wants that."

"Except Cornelius Fudge and most of the Ministry staff, you mean, Emily, except them."

* * *

Back at Spinner's End, Hope listened as her parents prepared for bed.

"So he's calling you 'Em' again? When did you get so chummy?"

"Just this evening. I think having his godson in his home has boosted his mood toward manic."

"What were you discussing with him as we left?"

"I was telling him to keep his distance from our daughter, and perhaps to adjust his library."

"And exactly what book was troubling you? What has our precocious child been looking into, now?"

There was a long silence.

"Emily, I really wish to know."

"Okay, okay, it was called _A Wizard's Guide to Cunnilingus_. She didn't even touch it; she just read the title from the cover."

There was some sort of burst of air from Daddy's throat. "He had that in his sitting room?"

"Well, it's a private sitting room except when I use it, and it was on the top shelf. Someone has inherited her father's sharp eyes."

No sounds came from the parents' bedroom. Hope took a step closer to her door and strained her ears. Then Daddy spoke again, but his voice was different.

"Did you read it? Is it a book we should have?"

There was a giggle. "No, and I can't imagine what you could learn from it."

"Oh?"

"I cannot imagine what is missing from your abilities in those lines....Severus..." This last was a bit squeaky.

"_Muffliato_."

Hope sighed and doused her lights. She was hoping to hear more about what Daddy was doing and what the sinister-sounding plans for Mum were, but it seemed all they cared about was each other. Parents who were all over each other were sometimes useless. If the world was kind to her, she would never learn that her parents' behavior together was the best way they had of comforting each other through the sometimes horrible tasks they faced.

_A/N: Thank you very much to reviewers debjunk, angstycryingbaby47, and williammoseysgirl. Thanks, especially, to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	57. Young Love

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter is within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

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* * *

_

_Dear Lucky,_

_I'm sorry I have been unable to meet with you for the past few days. Grandma had to go live in with a patient who is quite ill and Mum and Daddy decided to move to Daddy's house early. It's kind of a drag, because I know you're stuck with all that transplanting. I hope it's going OK._

_I've met my first dangerous criminal, except that I don't think he was dangerous at all. Mum says he's mostly harmless but that I must never be alone with him, nor tell anyone I met him, or how or where. He and Mum seem to have been friends or something for many years, but they chatted oddly. She kept holding him back in the conversation, like the mistress holding the leash of an overeager puppy. I think he's pretty nice, but somehow there's something dangerous about him, after all._

_I'm sure my parents are involved in fighting against that person who's supposedly not back. I knew from the way Mum acts that Daddy is in danger. It never occurred to me that Mum might be in danger, too, but the criminal-guy said something that made me wonder if she is. Daddy must be using Occlumency, but I've been watching him more carefully. He's worried about her, almost as much as she is about him._

_That Harry Potter got himself in a pile of trouble. He cast a Patronus charm in the middle of his neighborhood, right in front of his Muggle cousin. Of course he was supposed to be expelled from the school, but Dumbledore tried to sort it out. Daddy says it's yet another example of favoritism toward the one student. The story is that there were Dementors attacking Potter and his cousin, so he needed to cast a Patronus. There's going to be a hearing about it in a few days. _

_Daddy says the whole situation shows how the Ministry is treating Dumbledore these days. A few months ago, everyone would have believed him without a single question. If Potter's story is true, it's a clear case of self defense. However, since Dumbledore isn't as popular at the Ministry any more, the whole thing is being treated as if Dumbledore and Potter are trying to put something over on the Wizarding Community. I'll never figure out why adults have to act so childishly sometimes._

_Have you gotten your book list yet? I think Mum plans to take me to Diagon Alley sometime next week._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I'm sorry you weren't able to come back, but I understand. It didn't take long at all to finish that transplanting. The gardeners were quite nice about it since we're basically volunteers, after all._

_Your summer sounds way more interesting than mine. All the intrigue around here that I can gather is that Gran is going to let the Healers try another treatment on my parents. She's making them wait until after the school term starts, though. I think she's hoping that if it goes badly I won't see it._

_I wouldn't worry too much about your parents. They're pretty competent, especially your father. I won't be sorry to get back to school and normal life, though. Even without seeing some of the things you're seeing, everything seems so odd this summer, as if everyone is getting ready for something no one will admit is happening._

_We'll probably be in Diagon Alley on Wednesday. I'm hoping to see some friends then._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

Emily found Hope looking out a window into the back garden. She was holding a crumpled parchment in her hand and tears were slowly burning down her face.

"What is the matter, dear?"

"It's nothing, Mum."

"Is that a letter from Neville?"

"He's going to be in Diagon Alley on Wednesday to shop for his books. He's hoping to meet some friends there."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"I think it means he's hoping to meet with Hannah Abbott."

"Oh, I see."

"Do you, Mum? Do you really?" Dark, hollow eyes, very much like her father's at that moment, stared at the mother. "How could you know what it's like? You and Daddy have been together since you were first years."

Emily smiled sadly. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Well, weren't you? Didn't you study together?"

"We did, but all the way through school, your Daddy was head over heels gone over another girl. He mostly hung around with me only when she wasn't there. Plus," Emily sighed, "in sixth and seventh years, I dated Sirius Black."

"That strange older man?"

"He wasn't so strange or older when he was the hottest boy at Hogwarts. Half the girls in school—well, I shouldn't be talking to you about that sort of thing."

"They all shagged with him, didn't they? Did _you_, Mum?"

"I never really wanted to. We just snogged a lot."

Fascinated, the girl smoothed out her letter and set it aside. "Was he your first kiss?" The mother nodded. "What was it like?"

Emily's eyes got dreamy. "It was quite exciting. He pulled me into a quiet alleyway during the first Hogsmeade Weekend of my sixth year. Then it was ruined when a bunch of his friends were attacking your father. I was furious and didn't speak to Sirius until the Yule Ball."

"He attacked Daddy?"

"He belonged to a group of Gryffindors that took a dislike to Daddy the first time they saw him. It's too bad, since most of them are working together, now..."

"And you _kissed_ him? How could you do that? You and Daddy were friends."

"I was pretty mixed up at sixteen. None of the other boys seemed interested and every girl wanted to date Sirius."

"So you went around snogging a boy that was Daddy's enemy?"

"Guilty as charged."

"How could you?"

"I'm not sure I can answer that question. I thought I had good reasons at the time. Anyway, I forgot what his kisses were like the first time I kissed your father. It was a different universe. Like reading about dragons in books and then seeing a real, live one at the Triwizard Tournament."

"Really?"

"Really. Your Daddy just does it for me. For all that he was the hottest boy at school, Sirius never did."

Hope sighed at the romance of it. Then she remembered her letter and sighed again. "It doesn't help me, at all. Neville likes the pretty blond girls with pink cheeks, and...and boobs. You just don't know."

"Oh, really? Compared to back when I had plain brown hair and watery eyes and the prettiest girl at Hogwarts had gleaming red-brown hair and sparkling green eyes?"

Emily pulled the curly head to her and smoothed the tousled hair. "You have a lovely face, when you're not crying, and your figure is filling out quite nicely, too. If Neville doesn't appreciate you, perhaps it's time to end your correspondence and be a bit nicer to the boys of Slytherin?"

"Oh, Mum, I can't do that! As hard as it is to watch, I just _have_ to know everything he does. Besides, the boys of my house can be pretty awful, except Ted, I guess."

"Well, maybe you should give the other boys a chance."

"Mum, don't make me do that."

Emily sighed. "Try not to get so worked up about it, then. You're only fifteen years old. The great romance of my life didn't strike until I was four years older."

"That's forever, Mum."

"Yes, dear, it is. Once it started, though, it went in no time at all. I knew I loved your father, I was married, and I had you, all before I was twenty years old. You wouldn't want all that right now, would you?"

Emily gave her daughter one last kiss, sensing that she would be thrown off, soon, and went to her own bedroom, where she retrieved an old diary and sat staring out a window of her own. Her husband found her there a little while later, and shut the door of the room, then quietly sat beside her.

"What seems to be the trouble?"

"Young love never seems to go smoothly, does it?"

"Would anyone want it if it was easy?"

"How was your manly trip to the playground? Where's the baby, now?"

"I took him to some the places I went as a child and when we got back, I left him with his sister. I think it perked her up a bit to have something to do. What are you reading?"

Emily showed him the page she held open.

_7 August 1979_

_It's now two and a half weeks since I became a woman in Severus's arms. _

_Sirius stopped by this evening. He wants to make up and start dating, again. In fact, he wants to do more than that. He was speaking of getting engaged. He's willing to talk about getting married and even having children. James and Lily are back from their honeymoon and he spent an evening at their house, absorbing domestic joy. Apparently they are trying to have a baby, now. Ever one to jump into a cause, Sirius is smitten with the idea of his own home and family._

_I couldn't help myself. I burst into tears and he held me in his arms, offering to do anything to make it better. There is no way Sirius could untangle this mess. Poor Severus when the Potters have a baby! Poor me in the meanwhile! It's starting to look like...well, I won't commit that thought to ink at this point. I would look so foolish if it didn't happen. Anyhow, Sirius was as sweet as I've ever known him to be. Indeed he was not himself, proving that he should wait before jumping into anything drastic. I kissed his cheek and sent him away. No man's lips will know my lips again but the man whose kisses make me forget myself...if he ever wants me again..._

Emily smiled distractedly. "Sirius is getting restless in that house. He's used to having the wind in his face, so to speak. Something he said reminded me of the day I wrote this. At the time, I didn't think he was honest about wanting to get married. It didn't matter. I was already sure that I was pregnant."

"...With the child who is suffering from young love right now."

"She's as single minded about her passions as you were, and I don't know how to protect her. I don't know if I can do it, not with everything else. How does one love in the face of such hopelessness, Severus? I only had three weeks of it."

"You loved me far longer than that. Now that I know you, I realize it was evident in the way you forced yourself upon my attention that very first evening in the library."

"But it wasn't hopeless love, then, it was just, I don't know. I just wanted to be your friend. I had only three weeks of knowing what love with you could be and being sure it would never happen. My daughter is facing years of it."

"Just as I did, my love. I had someone, though, who was kind to me and helped me through it, until suddenly I realized that my passion was wasted on the hopeless love and that the one I really loved was the one who had loved me enough to help me with the other."

"What if she doesn't find someone like that?"

"Then it's fortunate for her that she has such a loving mother to help her sort it out."

"I don't know if I can do that, with everything else..."

"How would you have it be, my Emily?"

"I want it all to go away. I want my daughter to enjoy her first crushes without this agony. I don't want to fight a war with _him_. I don't want to worry about what happens if he wins and what he will want from me. I don't want you to have to give up what you give up every time he calls you. I don't want this burning pain in my chest every time you leave my side. I don't want to be the sort of wife who agonizes over her absent loved ones. I just want the space and time to live our lives." She hid her face in her hands and sighed. "And while I'm making obscene demands of the universe, I want another baby even if it is far too soon to think about it."

He scooped her up and carried her to their bed. The diary fell to the floor, unheeded. "Emily, all I can offer you is myself, here and now. Who knows? Maybe we can manage the baby."

He cared for her so gently and tenderly that as the passion receded she was brought to tears. He rolled them both onto their sides and then held her and kissed her. He didn't bother to try to soothe her tears away as he judged she would feel better for giving vent to her anguish. He simply held her as she cried for the situation they found themselves in, the shadow of danger over the entire Wizarding world and the heartbreak their daughter was experiencing in the midst of it all.

She had cried herself out and was almost asleep when she felt it. Severus had gotten pretty good at not wincing or shifting his arm when the call came, but the heat against her shoulder was unmistakable. She sat up to allow him to get up and prepare for the meeting, carefully composing her own face and finding a way to smile as he left.

"So brave" he said as he kissed her, right over her heart. "I don't know how you do it, Emily, but you strengthen me. I will be back to you soon."

Severus gathered his robe and mask. He Disapparated and Emily watched the space where he had stood, minutes before. She rubbed his kiss into her chest, as if it were a healing ointment that would ease the pain his leaving caused. She sighed and dried her eyes, sorting out her clothing. If she couldn't be a wife to her husband just then, she would be a mother to her children.

* * *

He Apparated to the place his Mark brought him. "You didn't exactly rush, Snape, did you? Were you busy with that wife of yours? It won't be too long and there will be yet another child at your house, I bet. Are you trying to compete with the Weasleys?" Lucius Malfoy could make even ribald taunts sound sophisticated with his voice.

The general din of laughter covered the approach of the master, who walked into the room with his eyes gleaming as usual. Since the others were preoccupied, Severus was the first to kneel down. The Dark Lord corrected the others' inattentiveness with several well-placed hexes.

"So, Severus, you weren't the first to arrive, but you are the most conscientious. Do I hear tidings of another young Death Eater in the making?"

"No, master, but we hope perhaps soon."

"It seems a pity that one who spends time with his wife might be the object of derision, especially when it might yield the future of our organization. Wormtail!" He turned as Pettigrew approached from the side. "Take the girl back to where you obtained her. Try not to scare her to death. We will have other plans for our Death Eaters after tonight's meeting."

He discussed his plans for infiltrating the Ministry of Magic and obtaining the glass orb with the prophecy he wanted. Avery had explained just how it was to be done. He asked Severus about the plans the Order of the Phoenix had for guarding the Department of Mysteries. Severus explained the Orders plans to the extent that he, Shacklebolt, and Dumbledore had agreed upon.

Voldemort informed his servants of their tasks and then sent them home. "Your entertainment for tonight will be to bed your own wives. We have a bright future and we will need a new generation of Death Eaters to ensure that future."

Several Death Eaters noticed that Severus Snape was one of the first to leave the meeting and did not hesitate to cast aspersions to their master. Although Lord Voldemort was not completely convinced of Snape's loyalties, he did not consider his departure in this instance to be a proof of disloyalty. The fact that the man was eager to follow the directions he had been given was not a threat, not at this time.

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers Angstycryingbaby47, williammoseleysgirl, Istani, and debjunk. I hope everyone is staying warm this very cold winter! Thank you especially to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	58. More Troubles

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters and world here are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the timeline of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

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_Dear Lucky,_

_It appears Potter got off, but barely. Instead of having a small hearing, they tried him before the whole Wizengamot. Dumbledore showed up just in time to save the day and he gets to stay at Hogwarts and his wand won't be broken._

_Daddy says just watch, the Ministry will find another way to undermine Dumbledore. I hope he's wrong, although he never is. He got injured doing something the other night, right after Potter's trial. Mum smiles when she's in the same room as him, but I saw her in the hallway right after he got home, twisting and untwisting a washcloth and looking really upset. I think there were bloodstains on it. Maybe this is what she was worried about and the worst is over._

_I've seen the convict a few times since that other letter. He's a bitter, funny, odd man, all at different times. Mum says he was once the hottest date at Hogwarts, but circumstances have affected him greatly. It makes a person think._

_I'm sorry I missed you at Diagon Alley last week. It sounds like you had fun. You know we wouldn't be able to hang out together, anyway, so maybe it's just as well. I guess I'll see you next week on the Hogwarts Express._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I haven't kept up my end of the correspondence very well this week. I am quite grateful for your help in Potions. You know I would long ago have washed out of school without you. _

_The trip to Hogwarts this year was, to say the least, interesting. I met this girl named Luna Lovegood. Her dad publishes the Quibbler. Ginny Weasley said I'm not nobody when she introduced us. Luna is in Ginny's year. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are the Gryffindor prefects this year. It turns out that my friend Hannah is one of the prefects of Hufflepuff, now, too._

_On top of all that my Uncle Algie gave me a Mimbulus mimbletonia. It has all sorts of interesting characteristics..._

_At any rate, it seems like this is going to be a good school year. I don't know why, but I'm really optimistic about it. Maybe I'm lucky after all._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky._

* * *

Hope found a time to vent her woes during the time that Healer Snape made herself available to the Slytherin girls. Emily had tried to keep a few hours per week available during the beginning of every term. Hope put herself down for one of the private appointments.

"Mum, why do I have to be me?"

"Because your Daddy would be crushed if you were suddenly someone else."

"No, Mum, why do I have to be so dark-looking and not pretty and blonde? Why did I have to sort Slytherin, and why does my Daddy have to be my House Head? And when am I ever going to get a figure, Mum?"

"My dear, it's the luck of the draw. Somewhere at this very school I know for a fact there are girls who are jealous of your black curls and blue eyes. They envy the way you talk to the Headmaster as if he were an uncle. They would do anything to have a father who looks after them the way your father looks after you. Believe it or not, there are even girls who wish they had less of a figure. Actually, they wish they had the tall elegance of your figure. Meanwhile, some are being treated badly by boyfriends and other men in their lives because of the way their bodies are shaped."

None of that was what really bothered Hope, anyway. "Hannah Abbott is a prefect."

"Aha, now it comes out. Would Margo Snape have liked to be a prefect, along with Draco Malfoy?" Hope looked ill. "Or perhaps Margo Snape would have liked to be the Hufflepuff prefect along with cousin Ernie Macmillan?" The look became even worse. "I like Margo Snape as she is, unimpeded by such cares. You have three more years here, dear, and then you will be out in the big wide world. I can't promise it will be wonderful, but you will have opportunities you cannot imagine now. Try to learn everything you can while you're here so that you will be best able to use those opportunities, dear."

"That won't make Neville like me better," moaned the girl.

"No," smiled the mother sadly, "but he won't like you at all if you become too clingy and needy about him. For your own sake and for the sake of your future you need to become the best whole person you can just by yourself, and find a young man, whoever he might be, who is the same way."

"I don't like that solution."

"No, you don't have to like it, but it's still the best way."

The girl sighed and sat closer to her mother. When the professor poked his head into the sitting room, he found them there, the daughter practically in her mother's lap in a pose reminiscent of many years before. When she saw him, Hope jumped up to give him a big hug and a smile and then left to prepare for dinner.

"More trouble with that boy? I should have found a way to cut if off in her second year."

"Somehow, I think she will be better off for going through this, painful as it is right now. Give her a chance to work through it."

"I want to hex him into next week for mistreating her."

"Don't you see, though? He hasn't mistreated her in the least. He's simply not returned her feelings. Feelings he may not even know she has."

The father sighed and looked carefully at the mother sitting on the couch. He sat beside her and took her hand. "You look tired."

"I am a bit, yes."

"Could it be that--" He slid his hand along her middle.

"No, quite the opposite, actually."

He absorbed this news and its implications. "Are you disappointed?"

Emily shook her head. "It would have been pushing the limits of 'too soon', I think."

"So we're in for a quiet evening?"

"I would love to spend some time just enjoying my two favorite men. That reminds me; I should figure out where the elves have taken Brendon."

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Have you got any idea what made my Draught of Peace harden like that? I need to write an essay by our next class. I noticed that you and Hermione were the only ones to make it perfectly._

_Have you had DADA, yet? We cannot decide what to make of Umbridge. One of my classmates got put in detention just for saying that You-Know-Who is back. She acts sweet and girly until you cross her. If you haven't had her yet, watch your step._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_Thanks for the heads up on Umbridge. She's just as you said. One of the boys in my House says she's just the sort of thing the Ministry should have been doing all along, taking a firmer hand on things here at Hogwarts and exercising more control over "controversial" subjects like DADA._

_Of course, that particular person would like to see more Dark Arts taught, generally, not worrying about defense in the least. I don't think he understands just what the Dark Arts can do to a person. He's all excited about the power his family is gaining with the Ministry right now._

_There are a couple of things that would make the Draught of Peace harden up like yours did. I'll lay out the ones that are most likely..._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

"That blasted boy is using her." Emily was pacing as Severus looked up from grading essays.

"I thought you were the president of the Neville Longbottom fan club."

"He's got friends and a certain popularity, now, and only contacts her when he's in a jam in your class. I can't watch this again, Severus."

"Watch what again?"

"It's like studying for N.E.W.T.s all over again. She made nice to you to pick your brain for Potions for a few evenings and as soon as that test was over she dropped you. You were crushed and I laid awake nights thinking of which hexes and curses I wanted to use on her."

"So my little brainy Ravenclaw Healer has some blood lust deep in her soul after all." This was said with an ironic chuckle.

"Severus, this isn't funny. What's to become of her if he breaks her heart as thoroughly as... as..." She turned in her pacing and her husband was standing before her.

"We'll have to hope that there is someone willing to ply her with penne and Chianti."

"You're still being amused by all of this. What if there is no one?"

"I know you will be there, and I know she will come to you in a way I could never go to my parents. I was wrong about a great deal the night I asked you to marry me, Emily, but I was right that you would be a wonderful mother." He clasped her to him. "What's amusing is that you are more worried about this friendship tonight than I am."

"You are just overjoyed that it's not likely to turn to romance."

"Don't tell me you want her romantically involved at fifteen!"

"No, but I don't want her heart broken, either." Emily buried her face into her husband's robe and simply absorbed his presence.

Severus kissed the top of her head. "May I tell you what I want, right now?"

The figure within his arms shifted slightly. "That seems to be self-evident," came from the face pressed close to his chest. "Don't you need to finish those essays, though?"

"Half an hour should do it. Why don't you prepare? I rather fancy the black, tonight." He released her and she backed toward the bedroom.

"This other conversation isn't over."

"Of course not."

She looked at him from the doorway, an open invitation in her face.

"I'll be there soon," he responded.

_A/N: Thank you to reveiwers williammoseleysgirl, debjunk, Istani, and angstycryingbaby47. Special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	59. Relationships

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of __Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_.

Auror Tonks got into a skirmish with a Death Eater while guarding the prophecies at the Ministry of Magic. Emily finished bandaging Auror Tonks's arm and let her go back to the meeting. Brendon was pulling himself up on the coffee table where yet another Wizard's Chess game was paused. Looking around, Emily saw a bundle of gauze had rolled under the table. She started to kneel down and pick it up, but then thought better of it and used a summoning charm.

"It would have been faster to kneel down." As ever, her host was leaning against the door jamb.

"Severus doesn't like it."

"He always wants you to use magic, huh? What a snob."

"No, that's not it. I asked him once and he told me that my body is too precious to him to be on the floor like that."

Sirius was taken aback. "Are we talking about Severus _Snape_?"

Emily smiled enigmatically. "The one and only." She sat down and rolled the gauze back up, placing it into her bag.

He sauntered into the room and sat at on the couch. "It's not an obvious thing, you and Snape, or _anyone_ and Snape, really. The way he looks at you, though, and the little things he does for you..."

"Be careful; you might say something nice."

"I can see where some girls would go for that. I never would have thought you were that kind of girl."

"Every girl is that kind of girl, Sirius. We like to feel as though the man in our lives is looking out for us. He doesn't have to fight great battles or treat us like children, but we do like to know he's paying attention and gives us little signals that he cares."

Sirius looked at Brendon and replaced some chess pieces the baby had moved. "How does he know what to do? I have no idea what that is like."

"Surely you saw your parents together."

"They must have been at least twice, but really, I only saw them in the same room when I was being punished for something, like talking to the Muggle children who lived next door. It was this room, in fact. They sat me over in that corner over there while I wondered which of their dark mechanisms was set to watch me behind my back. Usually it was just Kreacher...I was far better off on the days I never saw them at all." He was lost for a minute but soon came back to the subject. "Truly, Emily, how does someone like Snape know how to be a husband?"

"We taught each other such things, I think. He's always been a very good student, you know. When we first got together we simply studied each other and learned what we liked and that's what we try to be and do." Her voice changed as she wandered from the subject. "He's so good to me, and now he's got He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to deal with, and school's no picnic with Dolores watching to see if anyone breathes, even. I just _have_ to try to be a good wife to him."

"You're quite a woman, Emily Snape."

They fell into their own thoughts. Emily let out a soundless sigh. She hadn't felt quite right in months and there was too much to think about. She opened her bag and looked hopelessly at her knitting. There was no reason to even take it out. She would get it into a frightful muddle and she wasn't in the proper frame of mind to work with it at all. Brendon wanted to be held, so she picked him up and spoke nonsense to him for a few minutes.

Severus showed up in the doorway, his extra meeting with Dumbledore and Shacklebolt over, and she stood, smiling as brightly as possible when she greeted him. He helped her gather her things and they took the baby and left, nodding to their host as they did so.

Sirius straightened out his chess game one last time and pondered the domestic scene he had just witnessed. Snape was standing tall these days, perhaps happy for the chance he had to do something. Emily was a ball of nerves. It didn't take much to see that the smile she put on for her husband was not very deep. For some reason, she was hiding her true feelings from her husband. Rather, she was trying to hide her true feelings from her husband. It was impossible to believe that Snape didn't know how distressed she was.

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Have you heard about Educational Decree Twenty-Four? I think I know why it happened. Someone in this school is a total fink._

_Meanwhile, the latest spells in Transfiguration are not working for me at all, and I need to write an essay about my last failure in Potions. My housemate who sometimes helps me is in a bit of a snit lately and isn't even helping her two best friends. Your explanations always seem to help more, anyway. Somehow you tell me less but I understand it better with you._

_Are you going to London for the Holidays? I would like to go over some of what's been going on and what it all means. My one housemate, of course, seems to be so close to the middle of it, but you always seem to know stuff, too._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_Are you serious? It's easier to count the number of people at that meeting who are not finks. The Hog's Head, indeed! No one shows their face there, but many sorts of people go there. By the time the first of your meeting's participants arrived back at the castle, most of the professors knew all about it._

_Besides that, most of the students who went to the meeting came back full of butterbeer and bravado. My one cousin, whom I will identify as "Suck-up," couldn't wait to tell me all about how my other cousin, "Jerk-off" tried to cause a problem. Cousin Suck-up was very proud of the way he claims he yelled Cousin Jerk-off down. Meanwhile Cousin Jerk-off couldn't wait to explain to me how important it was for a doubting voice to be heard. The way those two argue over who's my favorite cousin is obnoxious. At any rate, piecing things my cousins told me, together with the rumors in the common room, I have a pretty good idea how the meeting went. You need to be a lot more discrete in the future._

_I wish I could belong to a group like that. Daddy has taught me all sorts of things that might be useful, and I'm sure that the leader of the group knows some things I could use. I guess House rivalries trump something worthwhile, yet again._

_Mum is not quite herself. Grandma still says it's a touch of something called postpartum depression, but worries about this war or whatever it is are not helping in the least. Mum tries to be so cheerful all of the time, but you can tell she's not. When she doesn't think we notice, Daddy and I sometimes find her crying or, even worse, sitting by herself and staring into space. _

_We're going to spend the entire Christmas Holiday at Grandma's house. Daddy thinks it might cheer Mum up, and at least we'll be away from here and that professor that only Argus Filch can stand. I know Grandma will bring me to the hospital for all her shifts, so I think we'll be able to meet a good deal._

_As usual, you've only got the Potions muddled a little bit, but you are in a tangle with the Transfiguration, aren't you? Let's see if I can explain it._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

"So she doesn't do anything but sit and stare out of windows?"

"She talks with Grandma about hospital cases, and she's very attentive to Daddy. She takes care of Brendon just fine and all, but when she hasn't anything to do, she sits and stares."

Hope and Neville were in the greenhouses, where they could be by themselves. They were going over Transfiguration spells as well as some defensive techniques Hope had learned from her father.

"I'm sure your mum will be fine."

Margo nodded her head.

"I mean, she's always seemed so strong and everything."

"Yeah, I suppose. It's just so odd. You think you know what everything is about and all of a sudden you wake up one morning and realize your mother isn't quite right. If this is what happens when You-Know-Who comes back, what will happen if he actually comes to power? I think she's actually worse since Mr. Weasley got bitten by that snake."

"Have you heard how he is? I ran into Harry and the others just the other day. They saw my parents. It was so weird and uncomfortable. Not like when you visit at all."

"Daddy led the Potions Masters here through a new formulation that seems to do the trick and reverse the effects of the venom. Grandma says Mr. Weasley will probably get to go home pretty soon."

"How does he do that? When he takes us through specific potions on the chalk board it always seems so obvious, but then when I'm trying to make it in class, it doesn't make sense in the same way at all."

"He says some potions are obvious based on the ingredients but others take a lot of effort and trial and error. I heard him tell Grandma that after looking at all the trial and error results on this one, it was obvious what sorts of things should work and then they did. Mum made him give her a vial of it. I can see her wanting something like that as a Healer, but why would she put it in her private stock?"

Neville didn't know. They practiced some more jinxes and hexes. He loved to hear how she handled Malfoy when he tried to trick her into kissing him. Counting the time in first year, he had gone to the Hospital Wing of the school six times so far because he couldn't figure out how to stop the effects of whatever jinx she placed on him. She had used the same jinxes on Eddie Macmillan and Zacharias Smith, too. Neville loved to hear her mimic them as she described the boils or tentacles she unleashed upon them. There was only one boy she didn't seem to jinx or hex.

"You seemed pretty chummy with Nott in the library right before the Holidays started," he observed, unable to keep all accusation out of his tone.

"We were studying Arithmancy together. He's all right, and he doesn't try to foist his body parts all over me."

"Isn't his dad one of the oldest Death Eathers?"

"I guess, but Ted says that's not his scene, at least not now. If he joins up or starts hanging around with Malfoy's crew, I can drop him, I guess. It would be a shame, though, because I'd be at loose ends. It's nice to have one person to sit with in the Great Hall who doesn't want to attack me or who isn't completely intimidated by Daddy...or who isn't in the wrong House." Hope looked up at Neville ruefully.

"I wish you could hang out with Hannah and me," he said. "We would have a lot of fun together."

"Oh, yeah, sure, " Hope replied, hoping she sounded convinced.

The chime rang and they stood to walk downstairs.

"Well," said Hope, "Good luck with that group. I hope you can still meet and that you learn the sorts of things you want to learn."

"Thanks. Good luck for the spring classes and all. I hope your Mum feels better soon."

"Thanks. See you this summer."

"Yeah."

With that they separated, she toward the staff entrance and he toward the guest one.

_A/N: For those who are wondering, no, I didn't suddenly give Emily siblings. The "cousins" to whom Hope refers are actually the children of Emily's cousins, or perhaps the grandchildren of her parents' cousins. I think that even as a second or third cousin, the Smiths and Macmillans would be happy to claim Hope as part of their families._

Thank you all who are reading my story. It's keeping me entertained and I'm glad to see that others are entertained as well. Thank you to reviewers Thanks, excessivelyperky, debjunk, williammoseleysgirl, angstycryingbaby49, and Istani, and especially to Mark Darcy, who beta reads and always has great advice.


	60. Almost

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

Severus Snape entered the house of Black wishing that the next interview was already over. He wished someone else could take care of this discussion, or that his wife could be with him to smooth over the rougher element. Emily was clearly not herself these days, though. He had discussed her at length with Margo Smith and some sort of action would need to be taken before too long. Yet another difficult conversation he would need to have, soon.

Molly Weasley met him in the hallway. "Severus, are you here to leave a report?"

"No, Molly, actually, I am here on Hogwarts business. The Headmaster asked me to speak to Potter about a course he needs to add to his curriculum."

"I see. Let me run along and get him, then. Why don't you wait in the kitchen?"

The rougher element himself was sitting at the table. Not unexpected, but just the sort of complication he could do without today.

"Welcome to my humble abode, Snape," said Black. He appeared to have been drinking. The afternoon was not improving.

"Black," answered Snape. Perhaps if he kept to one word responses, Black would stop trying to talk.

"How is Mrs. Snape these days?"

"Quite well, thank you."

"I didn't get that impression when I saw her last."

"I fail to see how it is your business."

"I consider her to be a friend and I am interested in her welfare."

"I am fully capable of looking after my wife's welfare, thank you."

"She seems overly distressed, lately. Perhaps you haven't had time to look after her."

"I have plenty of time to look after what must be attended, Black. Perhaps your pursuits leave you little time to look after other things..." He left it hanging.

"Emily deserves more attention than just what you can spare from other things. If she were my wife..."

"If it were left to you, Black, she would not be a wife. You had every intention of shagging her and dropping her, which would be of no value to her in the present situation."

"I would have married her."

"Quite a life of grandeur you could have shown her, between Azkaban and this house."

"It would all have been different." Black took another swig from his bottle.

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to stop the headache he could feel coming, knowing it was useless. The only way to deal with this man was to simply not respond. The boy came into the kitchen and the ensuing argument only made the headache worse. At least Potter got the message that he was to come to the dungeon on Monday for a lesson that would be called "Remedial Potions" but in actuality would be Occlumency.

The arrival of Arthur Weasley from the hospital gave Severus a chance to escape the House of Black. He quickly Apparated to a different part of London and entered the terraced home of his mother-in-law. Emily was helping the toddling baby to walk and looked up when he arrived. She could tell that he had a bad headache and immediately came to help him. Her face was full of concentration as she worked over him and she seemed her normal self. Perhaps he wouldn't need to talk to her after all. If he did, it seemed likely that Margo's suggestion would be the best one. At the very least, he could postpone the conversation for a few days, until they returned to the school.

* * *

It was late at night when Emily Apparated to Grimmauld Place and tapped on the door to number twelve. Sirius opened it and smiled until he saw just how white the face before him was.

"Emily, what's wrong?"

"Is Severus here? He was summoned hours ago, and hasn't been back. I thought—hoped—that perhaps he would be here, leaving a report..."

"No, he's not here."

It wasn't possible, but her face turned whiter. "That's that, then. He's not coming back. Sirius, what will I do? What is to become of me, or of my children?" She slumped against the wall, shaking, and Sirius reached a cautious hand to touch her shoulder

In an instant, she was within his arms, vulnerable and pliant. For some amount of time he just held her, breathing in the scent of her hair and enjoying the feel of a womanly form held so close to him. It was different from any time he had held her before, when somehow she always stayed within herself. He tested it.

"Emily," he asked quietly, "how do you know he's not a Death Eater?"

The story was a bit muffled, coming from where her face was buried in his robe, but nevertheless clear. "I gave him...myself...and he promised. We found out later it was an Unbreakable Vow... Our daughter was our bonder."

It was a stunning revelation, one that would only be made under great duress, when the person speaking was open and unguarded. Sirius felt a surge of desire as he realized that this was the moment, the chance he had waited for since he was sixteen years old. He pressed her close, closer than he had ever held a woman. She was more mature than before, but still exquisite to him. All he needed to do was bend his face down to kiss her and she would be his. Part of him wanted nothing more than to tumble her right here and now, in front of the picture of his mother. Yet she was too good to be shagged against the wall, or on the floor. From that idea, an idea that he recalled had been spoken by his rival, conscious thought returned to him.

"I cannot do this, Emily. I have come to admire your love for your husband and your virtue. I want more than ever to make love to you, but I would destroy what I admire most about you. You have to leave before I forget myself and lose control. Go back to the school. He will look for you there. Don't worry, he will fight the fires of hell itself to get to you. I know I would."

As he spoke, he loosened his hold, and putting his hands on her shoulders, pushed their bodies apart. He guided her back to the door. His hands were trembling with reluctance as he opened it and set her onto the step.

* * *

Emily found herself back out on the front walk, facing the square. She Apparated with blurry vision and walked quickly back to the quarters that had been home for so long. Mindlessly she went through her evening routine, long overdue. She dismissed the elves who were watching her son. He fretted and she rocked him in a chair. Already he seemed enormous compared to that small bundle she first held less than a year before. Her ears strained toward the dungeon hallways. If only she could hear that footstep and could stop dreading that it would never come!

After she was sure the baby was soundly asleep, she put him in his crib and went to brush her teeth. Severus came in as she finished preparing for bed. She was tying the sash of her dressing gown when she saw him in the sitting room.

"Are you hurt?" she asked as she launched herself at him.

"No, it wasn't like that at all, today."

She was checking for herself, unfastening buttons and untying knots with an agility he seldom saw. When she saw that he was unharmed, she unfastened her own clothing and took him on the couch, gasping and crying as her raw emotion and need became a physical act. He met her need with tenderness, gently making love to her until they were both spent.

After a while Severus picked up his weeping wife and carried her to their bed. He held her snugly and kissed her hair.

"Emily, I've been speaking to your mother. It's time to go back to the hospital."

She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "I can't."

He ran his hand along her face. "It would just be part time. They can always use your skills, and it will be good for you. You need the distraction. You need to feel like you're doing something. It's time, Emily."

"But I can't leave Brendon."

"It will be just like with Hope. You can take him with you on daytime shifts and at night the house-elves and I can handle things."

"What about Hope? She needs me nearby."

"Emily, there are hundreds of students here whose parents are nowhere near. She will be fine."

"What if you're hurt?"

"I will know where to find you."

"Severus, you were gone so long today that I was sure you weren't coming back. I went to headquarters looking for you, and...and Sirius sent me home."

His arms tightened. He took a deep breath, willing himself to be calm. "What happened between the first and second 'and'?"

"I was so upset. He was trying to comfort me and then he was hugging me and then he was saying that he didn't want to destroy my virtue and he pushed me out the door."

His arms relaxed as he pulled her closer. "Why are you going to him for comfort instead of me, Emily? Why have you pretended nothing is wrong when anyone can see that you've been struggling?"

"I thought you might be there making a report, and when you weren't, I was sure you were gone forever. I don't want to trouble you. You have so much to deal with—"

"Haven't we always shared our troubles? Haven't they always been easier to bear when we take them all into account, together?"

"But they were so much smaller, before. Severus, it's not the same."

"That was practice and now this is the real thing. Emily, if this is eating you alive, I need to know."

She buried her head and then nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry that I didn't ask you about this before."

"What happened today? You were gone for hours."

He sighed. "Ten Death Eaters were broken out of Azkaban today. The Dementors helped. He wanted me there as he waited for word, and then he wanted all of us to celebrate. I left as soon as I reasonably could."

"I was so worried."

"I knew you would be, but I couldn't get away, nor could I send word."

She sighed. There was nothing he could have done. She sighed again. "Do you really think I should go back to St. Mungo's?"

"I think that if you're helping others, you won't feel so helpless."

"I'll give it a try." She shifted to a position where they could look at and caress each other. "I'm sorry to have attacked you like that."

He smiled. "I love you however you come to me."

"I didn't get a chance to ask. How did the Occlumency lesson go?"

"As I expected, Potter is a open book. He'll never make a spy. What little of his emotions he manages to keep off his face are easily found with Legilimency within seconds. I don't know how to show him to shut himself off the way Dumbledore wants."

"I'm sure you'll find a way, if anyone can."

"I hope so. It's just too important."

_A/N: Back when the idea for this story came to me I had no idea that it would go over sixty chapters and still be far from finished. Of course I had no idea of our family increasing either, yet here I am and both things are happening. At any rate, this has provided a fun diversion while I've been forced to slow down the pace of my life. _

_Thank you to those who have read, and a special thanks to reviewers excessivelyperky, debjunk, angstycryingbaby47, williammoseleysgirl, and Istani. I'm very grateful, too, to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	61. Mad Cow

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

_Warning: This contains what might be considered spoilers to The Tales of Beedle the Bard._

Emily went to work as school and the war continued. Severus fretted over Potter's inability to close his mind to Voldemort as Emily fretted over the fears she had for her family and friends. In sharing their worries and comforting each other, they found they could bear what must be borne. They fretted together over Hogwarts as Dolores Umbridge gained favor with the Ministry and received constant increases to her authority.

After Educational Decree Twenty-Six was promulgated, the Snapes realized it would become increasingly difficult to train Hope in defensive techniques as they had been doing. They were not surprised to see the High Inquisitor in the doorway of Severus's classroom one weekend, shaking her head as Severus and Hope exchanged jinxes.

"Hem, hem, this doesn't appear to be Potions, Professor, what can you be teaching this student?"

Emily jumped up, and taking Umbridge by the elbow, guided her into the hallway. "Oh, Dolores, I hope you don't mind that we're sharing a little family time!" she simpered. "We were reading "Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump" to Brendon and then Severus just had to act it out! You don't know what a doting Daddy he is!"

Dolores wasn't convinced. "That looked like jinxes and hexes, Healer Snape."

"Surely you recall the scene where Babbity and the fake magician were trying to hex each other? It's all very innocent, I assure you. Shall we have tea while they finish?"

"I prefer the _Toadstool Tales_. They're so much less violent and the Muggles are in their proper place..." Dolores looked unsure but she was bowled over by Emily's charm. Before she knew it, she was enjoying tea and biscuits in the Snape sitting room until the clock on the wall reminded her that it was past time to check in on one of the student groups she had planned to inspect today. She leaped up and left, wondering just how she had been derailed and how it had started, anyway.

Severus and Hope must have been watching for her in the hallway, because they came in soon, Brendon in tow. Emily was fixing herself another cup. "How did you do that, Mum?"

"There's a charm Healers use to calm difficult patients," answered the girl's father. "Emily, you didn't..."

The wife and mother just smiled secretly as she blew into her tea cup to cool it. In the past month she had worked a couple of shifts a week at St. Mungo's and spent the same time discussing the worries of each day honestly with her husband. Emily was back to herself.

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I'm doing well in that extra class I've been working on. Our practice together over the holidays helped. Now that those people are at large, I feel this sense of purpose, as if I have to make up for what happened to my parents. Somehow, if I work hard enough, I'll be able to do something. So far, we've kept from being observed. I guess the finks have decided to shut up._

_What do you make of Trelawney being sacked? Why would Dumbledore insist on keeping her on school grounds? Everyone in the common room says it doesn't surprise them, with a few saying it's high time. Why not just send her away?_

_Of course, I'm not doing as well in Potions. Can you help me with this week's essay? At least I only have to do the one everyone has to do, this time._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Lucky,_

_From what I hear amongst people in another group that's been formed, they still are trying to infiltrate your group. Keep your head down, and don't say anything if you can avoid it. They are quite talkative, assuming total loyalty in the common room, and say it's just a matter of time before they get someone to talk._

_Daddy got a funny look in his face when Trelawney was sacked and Dumbledore made sure she could stay on school grounds. If I saw that look on anyone else, I would say that he had suddenly figured something out. I think Dumbledore was just protecting the innocent. She's truly a fraud, but she's our fraud and deserves our loyalty._

_The Potions IS a bit complicated this week. Hardly anyone understood what he was saying, even that one house mate of yours. Let me see if I can explain it without confusing myself..._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

_

* * *

_

"It's just not working out." Severus stormed into the family sitting room and threw himself into his favorite chair.

Emily walked over to her husband and massaged at the knots in his neck. "Are you sure?"

"The boy is incapable of Occlumency. He may be a natural Legilimens, poking into my mind to see my own parents, but he's no Occlumens. And now that sneaking boy has gone too far. When I was taking care of one of my students, he went into the Pensieve and saw my worst memories. He saw that day at the end of O.W.L.s. Fortunately he didn't see the argument I had with Lily afterwards, by the portrait hole..."

"Would it be so awful if he had?"

"He would know everything; I can't allow him to have that. He would use it against me, I know. His father would."

"Would his mother?" Emily asked and then didn't care. She thought to herself that in a way, Lily had somehow used Severus's feelings for her for her own benefit and to his detriment every day of their acquaintance.

"Maybe not, but I can't take the chance. I'm just not doing it again. We've been trying for weeks and have gotten nowhere."

"What will you tell Dumbledore?"

"When I see him again, I will tell him what I have told you. The boy is simply not making any progress."

"Is this important enough to pass through that special channel?"

"I don't think so...I hope not." He shifted position so that she could rub further down his back.

_

* * *

_

_Dear Hope,_

_I wish I could study everything with you for O.W.L.s. Can you think of a way to manage it?_

_I had career advice, today. I should be able to pursue Herbology research and teaching as long as I don't fail my Potions O.W.L._

_Do you know anything about where Dumbledore went?_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Lucky,_

_I think it's just about possible, although it may be spotty in the areas you need. Follow my house mate and me after dinner when we go to the Library. I'll grab a table with another one close by. You sit at the other table and keep your head down. That way you can listen in as we discuss things._

_I had career advice, too, such as it was, with my House Head. I'm pretty sure I want to be a Healer, like Mum, but I find myself drawn to the Aurors. My Head says that with the courses I've been taking and the grades I'm likely to get, I should be able to wait and make a final choice later._

_I have no idea where Dumbledore is or what exactly happened. I understand that there are people who know how to contact him in a true emergency, but that's pretty unlikely to happen._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_A/N: That's likely to be as lighthearted as it gets for a while. Canon events intervene. _

_Thank you reviewers, angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. A special thanks to Mark Darcy who is a great beta reader._


	62. The Fateful Night

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix._

Emily Snape was in her sitting room, playing with her toddling son and waiting for her husband to come in to an intimate dinner. It would be a pleasant evening, celebrating the end of O.W.L.s. Severus burst in and Emily knew in an instant that the evening was going to be very different from their plan.

"Emily, that dratted boy has gone to the Ministry. He's going to ruin everything."

"What's happened?"

"As far as I can tell, he had another vision of the Dark Lord's mind and thinks Black is being held there and tortured."

"Is that likely to be true?"

"No, I checked, and of course Black is safe at home, and wants to join a rescue party, but he needs to stay where he is. Dumbledore has always insisted on that point. Potter needs him for some stability in his life. If he leaves the house, he'll be returned to Azkaban, or kissed, or killed. We need someone to relay messages at Headquarters, anyway. I have to stay here, though. If I go to the Ministry..."

"What is there to do?"

"Emily, you have to go. He'll listen to you."

"I don't know, Severus."

"It's important, you have to go. You can convince him to stay at home, Emily."

There was no arguing with the look in his face. Emily turned and grabbed her cloak. She left the school and made her way to Sirius's house. When she knocked on the door, Sirius answered. Remus Lupin was in the hallway. The others had already left and Remus was clearly trying to get Sirius to stay behind.

"Emily! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make sure you stay."

"No, Emily, Harry is in danger, and I'm going with Moony."

"Sirius," she walked right up to him and stepped close, "you are supposed to stay here."

Remus had been hoping for an opportunity to leave without Sirius and slipped out the door.

"Emily, I've been trapped in this house forever. It's almost as bad as Azkaban, surrounded as I am by some of the worst memories of my life."

"You can't go, Sirius. You have to stay."

"Why is it so important?"

"Harry Potter needs you to be alive for him, Sirius. I think Dumbledore must have convinced Severus of that, somehow. He sent me here to convince you."

"What can I have, trapped here, Emily? Do you know what I've been thinking and dreaming about, alone in this house? I've been imagining you, Emily, moving beneath _me_ in a bed, and growing large with _my_ child. I've imagined that the baby nursing at your breast in my sitting room was _my_ son and that I've been having interesting conversations with _my_ daughter. Can you give me that life, Emily?"

She looked at him, her mouth opening and closing in dismay.

"No, of course you can't give that life to me. You've given it to him."

She was aghast. "You don't really want that with me, if you want it at all--"

He sighed and calmed his voice. "Maybe I don't. How can I be sure with this existence? Emily, this is a chance to clear my name and to finally get out of this house. Plus, I cannot stay at home when my godson might be hurt or killed. I have to do something, anything, to help."

"They need someone to stay here and relay messages for the Order."

"Anyone can do that. They can send anyone at all here. Emily, I'm going."

"Sirius, wait!" He was out the door, but she managed to grab his robe before he Apparated, bringing her with him.

His voice echoed in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. "Emily! You might have splinched yourself doing that. It was terribly dangerous."

"Sirius, let's go back to your house. I'll sit with you."

"I'm not leaving until I find Harry."

As they walked from the Atrium to a hallway, a part of the battle came toward them. The unmistakable voice of Bellatrix Lestrange shrieked as it approached, followed by the youthful bellows of Harry Potter. The boy was trying to Cruciate the witch and although he had some small success, it was clear that the spell was beyond him.

"I'll show you how it's done, little boy!" she said, lifting her wand and pointing it at Harry. Before Emily could intervene, Sirius threw himself in front of his godson, taking the full brunt of the curse. Bellatrix screamed with glee when she realized whom she had cursed, and cast the spell again and again. She was impervious to the jinxes and hexes Emily was willing to send her way with Harry so close and continued cursing her cousin until Dumbledore hit her with a jinx from behind.

Emily knelt by Sirius in the hallway as the battle reformed and moved into the Atrium. She cast the charm that helped with the curse but he only stopped twitching. It was hard to tell if he was alive or dead, let alone whether his mind had been affected. As several battles raged around her, Emily kept her vigil, watching for a sign of life or confirmation of her fear.

Finally, all was silent except for the footsteps of the teen boy who ran toward her. He looked at Sirius and then at Emily, a silent question in his eyes.

Without a good answer, all Emily could do was shake her head. Thinking the worst, the boy wailed and the Headmaster led him back to the Atrium, where he placed a Portkey in the boy's hands and sent him back to the school.

"Emily, is he?"

"I can't tell, Albus. I think she may have done to him what she and three others did to the Longbottoms. I used a charm that eased the pain, but I don't know what else has happened, or even if he lives. I fear that his mind will never be the same."

"Harry thinks he's dead. Perhaps it's better to leave it that way, for now. Take him to the hospital, Emily, and do what you can for him. Report to me tomorrow."

"Yes, Albus." Her chest heaved as she gulped in air. "It's my fault. Severus told me to keep him at Headquarters, but he wouldn't stay--"

"Emily, you did your best, I'm sure, and the loyalty to me, from both you and Severus, means much. Do what you can for Sirius, and report to me tomorrow."

Severus met her at the hospital as she guided the levitating body to the Janus Thickey Ward. "I am sure to be summoned soon, but I had to see you. Are you all right? Did anyone hurt you?"

"I'm fine. I'm not sure anyone realized I was there." They reached a curtained area designated for a new patient and Emily set him on the bed. "I think he would benefit if we both used your charm, together, Severus."

Together they cast the spell, Severus at Sirius's chest, where Emily indicated Bellatrix had hit him with her curse and Emily at his head. The patient sighed and seemed to relax. Emily turned as one of the Healers who specialized in mental health arrived. The Healer used a special spell to assess the damage.

"He's alive, and physically healthy, under the circumstances. Mentally, I'm not sure whether it will be permanent, but there is extensive damage," he said. "He will need months to recuperate, at least. Can you give me his information?"

"He has no real next of kin and I think he needs to be anonymous for now," replied Emily. "Can we make up a name and just sort of let him be here? If anyone learns he's here, he'll be hunted."

"We can do that, at least until he becomes lucid."

"Thank you," said Emily, as she and her husband took their leave. They walked to the employees' entrance.

It wasn't as if he cared about Black, Severus thought to himself, but protecting the Order was a foremost consideration. "Will he be safe, there? Won't someone recognize him?"

"It's highly unlikely. No one ever really looks at the patients in that ward. They're too busy being grateful that they're just passing through or working in there. In some ways, he's safer there from detection than in that house."

As they reached the doorway, Severus touched his arm. "He's calling, and it will be a difficult meeting. The raid was a complete failure, since the prophecy was completely lost and the Dark Lord was forced to show himself."

"I will be in our rooms, waiting for you and prepared. I love you, Severus Snape."

"I love you, my Emily."

They Apparated to their different destinations

* * *

Neville Longbottom awoke to an odd feeling. His first sensation was to wonder where his bed hangings were before he recalled that he had been brought to the Hospital Wing of the school. His second sensation was that someone was sliding a hand under his pillow. His eyes focused in the dim light upon a white face framed with dark curls, looking like a renaissance Madonna.

"Hobe!" he whispered.

"Lucky!" she responded. "I'm so proud of you, and I had to come see if you're OK, myself."

"My dose was hit. Badam Bomvrey did someding and id's gedding bedder, I dink."

"I'm sure it is. Get your sleep and don't think about me." She rested her other hand on top of his pillow and lowered her lips to his, then slipped away before his own hands had a chance to lift from the bed in a feeble effort to hold her. He was weak, from his injuries and the potions Madam Pomfrey had given him, and he fell right back asleep.

Margo Snape slipped through the door of the Infirmary and found a dark corner to hide in as she pressed her hand to her heart and caught her breath. If he married Hannah Abbott tomorrow, at least she would have her first kiss to remember. Ruefully she realized that having had it, she would now crave more.

* * *

Neville woke the next morning to a good breakfast and a much reduced, although still sore, nose. His lips felt strange until he remembered the kiss he had received the night before. It was probably just a dream, though. He slid his hand under his pillow, where he remembered hers being, and found a scroll of parchment. It wasn't a dream.

_Dear Lucky,_

_You are lucky, just like Sir Luckless, and you didn't need water from a special fountain any more than he did. My dorm mate just came in, full of annoyance and rather nasty comments about how a certain group of people have broken the rules yet again and how they have all the breaks._

_I've already heard rumors about how you went to back up your house mate and how even with your wand broken you showed yourself more than capable of fighting the Death Eaters. You have shown yourself to be truly the son of Aurors and as capable a wizard as anyone else in our year._

_I can't tell you how proud of you I am. All I can do is wait until all the activity in the Hospital Wing dies down and bring you my note._

_Sincerely,  
__Hope_

Hope had it a little bit wrong. Her note told him how proud she was, and swelled him with pride that someone noticed and was impressed. Her kiss told him, too. He had been trying to work up the nerve to find a way to kiss Hannah but had never managed it. He was just about ready when the DA had been infiltrated by the Inquisitorial Squad. He didn't suppose it mattered that Hope was therefore the first girl to ever kiss him. Somehow it was fitting.

His bedside table was covered with cards, notes and treats from well-wishers. There was even a congratulatory note from Gran. She was sorry his father's wand had been broken, but at least it was in a good cause. As soon as he returned home, they would go to Ollivander's for a new one. Hannah's note was full of worries about his injuries and hoped he would be OK. Neville glanced at everything and then rolled up the first piece of parchment he had received, sliding it back under his pillow. All of this attention was wonderful, but there was something special in the note he received from the friend he had always had...and the way it had come.

_A/N: As you can see, I took a path with Sirius that probably no one will like._

_Thank you reviewers angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. A special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	63. A New Trap

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time lines of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

The long night didn't end for the wife of the Potions Master until into the morning, when she saw her husband's worn face in the doorway of their quarters. She hastened to help him into their bedroom and worked quickly to ease his hurts and make him comfortable.

"How many times did he torture you?" she asked.

"The raid was a complete failure." He counted off on his fingers. "The prophecy was destroyed, Death Eaters were injured, several were arrested, and the Dark Lord was forced to show himself."

"He tortured you for those things?" Emily was amazed.

"He tortured _everyone_ for those things," Severus answered. "He tortured me alone for not getting the full prophecy to begin with."

"Will he never forgive you for that?"

"The Dark Lord never forgives."

She rubbed his face with her fingertips, trying to soothe the pain that still showed in his eyes. She kissed him as she did, willing him to feel better until suddenly he shifted their positions. He was kissing her, then, his body asking for what she had never refused. They drowsed off in murmurings of love and gentle caresses. Sleep took them both for a short while.

* * *

After a short rest, Emily got to work, starting by consulting with the Healers in the Janus Thickey ward. After further consultation with Albus Dumbledore, a body was released for burial, identified as Sirius Black. Within days, the sealed coffin was delivered to the Black family crypt and the memorial service was kept deliberately small. At Emily's instigation, Remus Lupin compiled a book of snapshots and remembrances that he had quickly gathered from friends and Order members. Oddly enough, when he looked for the book later in the day, it was gone.

A week after the Ministry raid, Emily searched through the hospital until she found a specific volunteer whose assistance she requested. Alison had volunteered at the hospital for years. She had been injured toward the end of the first war and had sufficient family money not to have to work. She had the somewhat jaded look of a no longer young woman who wished to be married but never found the right man. Looking closely, Emily could still see traces of the laughing Hufflepuff who once walked back from a Quidditch match on the arm of Sirius Black with leaves in her hair.

Emily led Alison to the Janus Thickey Ward and into the space occupied by a man identified as James Ogden. Alison looked up in shock. "But, it's--"

"You are now one of a small handful of people who know he's alive. You need to know that he did not commit the crimes for which he was sent to prison and that he may well be a hero. You cannot tell anyone. If you do, he and several other people may be killed. He's been waking up for an hour or two every morning around this time. He can't speak right now and it's not clear what he understands, but he needs someone to talk over old times and friends with him. There is a hope that he will come back to himself if someone does...can you do this? Without telling a soul? If not, I can Obliviate you and there will be no repercussions."

Alison looked at the sleeping form whose eyes were fluttering. "I can do this."

Emily handed her the book Remus had put together. "This should help. If you can obtain some other pictures, they will help, too. If you think I'm needed, let me know, but I'm going to stay away, for several good reasons." She leaned down and kissed the man's forehead. "Be safe and get better, so you can finally live your life." She walked out of the ward and toward the employee entrance of the hospital. If she hurried, she could pick up her son and get some shopping done before she met her daughter at Kings Cross.

* * *

Margo Snape made her way to the train with a certain amount of trepidation. School was now the site of her best memory ever, and she didn't want to leave. Her eyes met Neville's as he looked around right before getting on the train. She touched her lips and wondered if he thought about that moment and decided that he probably didn't, he was pretty out of it at the time. Margo watched him smile as Hannah Abbott hurried along the platform and he helped her up the stairs into the rail car.

Margo sighed and followed Ted onto the train and into an empty compartment. Maybe she could pretend to be asleep the whole time and she wouldn't have to be polite. That wasn't fair to Ted. He was a good friend and his own person, not like those Death Eaters in training like Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.

He had her laughing in the library a few weeks back over a story of his uncle and a friend trying to hex Margo's Mum years ago and how Margo's dad had calmly cursed them and put them in the hospital wing. It seemed that some Death Eater families discussed these sorts of things, trying to judge who were the best wizards among them. Ted told Margo about it because he thought it was funny and because it was about her parents.

It was a funny story, but it made Margo wonder. If Daddy and Mum weren't in love back then, they sure acted like it, at least as far as she could tell. Either Mum was just trying to make her feel better last summer or there was more to love than Margo understood. She knew which Mum would say it was.

The train started uneventfully, taking everyone back toward London and a different future than the one they had anticipated just eight days before. Margo smiled and nodded at the right places in the conversation. Suddenly a commotion in the corridor had them both looking out the compartment door. A bunch of Neville's DA friends had caught Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle trying to ambush Potter and had responded with force. Margo looked between the oozing mess and the floor and several students, including her own Cousin Ernie, and pulled quickly back into her compartment before she dissolved in giggles. Ted followed, shutting the door quickly.

"I suppose House pride requires that we do something to restore Slytherin honor..." said Ted.

"I don't see how we _could_. Even with all his practice and newfound nerve, I can disarm Cousin Ernie with my eyes closed, but some of those others are pretty good. Besides, it's just the sort of thing I've been slowly doing to Malfoy since we were first years. I can hardly fault them, even if they _are_ Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws."

Ted caught her eye and they both started laughing. The ice was broken and they chatted amiably about schoolwork and summer plans all the rest of the way home. When they arrived in Kings Cross, Mum was there with Brendon, who clapped his small hands and raised them up to his sister. They would spend two nights at Grandma's house, then a couple of weeks at the beach cottage, and then there would be half the summer at Grandma's house again, visiting with Neville in the greenhouses of St. Mungo's.

* * *

"He wants him to do _what?_"

Hope had been falling asleep, but the shrillness of Mum's voice woke her. She got up and crept toward her bedroom door.

"Hush, love. I don't think he intends for the boy to succeed. If the boy fails, he can punish the parents. He has an alternate plan..."

There was a pause.

"He wants you to do it, doesn't he?" Hope was listening intently. What was _it_?

"I think he does. It may be time, soon, to show my true allegiances."

"But, he'll--"

"Sh, Emily, somehow it will work. I'll talk to Dumbledore and it will work."

"You would be just as happy to fail at that task, wouldn't you? Severus, it would be so dangerous...to you particularly."

"It will work out. I'll talk to Dumbledore. Meanwhile, there's another wrinkle..."

Hope didn't hear the next part, but she heard her mother's response.

"_With that rat?!_ I can't do that Severus. He was always sneaking around even during our Hogwarts days, and what about the children? Am I supposed to let him be around our daughter?"

"I don't think he expects the whole family. I think you and the kids should do as we have always planned for the summer and I will join you at such times as I can. He clearly doesn't trust me, or thinks I need to be looked after."

"What we have always planned includes several weeks—"

"We may have to rearrange that part, but it's a long time before then."

"How can we be apart like that?"

"We have to make the most of the time we're together. That means one of us has to stop fussing when the other one is trying to do this..."

"Severus, we need to talk about this."

"...and this..."

"Severus..."

"...and...this..."

"Oh, _Severus_..."

Hope quickly moved away from the door, not wanting to hear the murmurings that were sure to follow. She pondered it all. There was something somebody wanted a boy to do and if the boy didn't do it, Daddy was expected to do it. Daddy hoped that Dumbledore would help him get out of it. Meanwhile, there was a person involved who was creepy enough for Mum to call him a rat. The only thing Hope was sure she understood was that Daddy probably wouldn't be going to the beach with them.

* * *

The next time Hope saw Daddy, she was on her way to bed at the beach house when he came in and sat down in a chair, looking like death. Mum hustled Hope through kissing Daddy goodnight and then shooed her into her room. Brendon was long since asleep. Mum and Daddy's conversation was quiet but Hope still heard much of it.

"It turns out that Dumbledore wants me to do it, too. Based on the battle the two of them had at the Ministry, he had somehow guessed at the plan and has been pondering his own options."

"No!" Hope could picture her mother taking a deep breath. "Tell me all about it."

"It's been such a long evening...is there anything to drink, Emily?"

There was a clinking as Mum got something for Daddy and a little while of quiet as he must have sipped whatever it was she gave him. He let out a long sigh.

"I was at the school going over a few things, when Fawkes summoned me to the Headmaster's office. He had a ring...horribly cursed..."

"He put such a thing on?"

"I've never seen him so drawn to anything. When I asked why, his face took on the belligerent look of a seventh year student. It held a certain mystique for him. Perhaps he's been searching for years...He had managed to take it off and destroy it by the time I got there, but it took several potions and one of our more intricate incantations..."

"Our work together has paid off, again."

"Indeed it has." Hope could picture her Daddy nodding. "It wasn't fully effective though. Perhaps you can take a look at it sometime."

"I will if he will let me."

"So, since this new...development...Albus wants me to do it. The boy's soul isn't damaged yet, while mine is supposedly sturdy enough to withstand the hit in order to preserve this illusion... We have less than a year to figure something else out."

"I don't know what to think, Severus."

"If it's what Dumbledore wants, and he thinks it will further his plans..." He sighed and blew out an ironic laugh. "No, no, it's impossible. We'll have to come up with something."

"I seem to recall you telling me that you knew I would make the best possible choice at the moment it needs to be made. I know you will, too, Severus."

"Mmm...it seems forever ago." There was a pause. "You may still have to make that choice."

"Tonight the options are much more palatable for us both. Do you have to go back?"

"Yes, I really ought to, but I can spare a few minutes...perhaps an hour."

"Then, as you said the other night, we should make the most of it."

Hope heard footsteps and then the door of her parents' bedroom close. Now she knew the Headmaster was involved. She was sure the boy was neither Harry Potter nor Neville this time, but she couldn't imagine who he was. She also somehow knew she couldn't confide any of this to Neville. There wasn't much to confide, anyway, but a lot of supposition.

_A/N: This may seem like rushing into the part of the storyline about the Horcruxes and the task both Voldemort and Dumbledore gave to Snape, but the HP Lexicon's timeline supports it all happening pretty quickly at the end of June/beginning of July. Perhaps Dumbledore was Horcrux hunting while he was forced to be away from Hogwarts._

_This was a pretty quick posting after the last chapter, but sometimes it happens that way. Thank you, Istani, for your review. I hope you are pleased with the way it will eventually come out. A special thanks goes to Mark Darcy, who is a wonderful beta reader._


	64. Commitment

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

A few nights later, Emily woke to a presence in her bedroom. She sat up and reached for her wand to cast a lighting spell. She saw it was her husband and relaxed.

There was a pained look in his eyes. "I need you."

She put the wand down and lifted her arms. In an instant he was within them and they were tumbling on the bed together in a frantic search for sanity. Some time had passed when Severus spoke again. Emily had him within her arms and was fingering the silk of his hair. She was wondering when she would again be able to hold him in this way when she heard his voice again.

"The die is cast, for better or for worse."

"You mean you've...already?"

"No, not that, not yet." He sighed. "Sometime before the end of the school year, though. It will have to be him or me. I should never have done such a thing, but what I did tonight... It has to happen, now."

"What did you do?"

"I opened the door to Spinner's End and let the darker two of the Black sisters in."

Emily's hands stopped moving. "Bellatrix, and Narcissa, in our home?"

"Oh, yes, it was a cozy tete-a-tete, including Wormtail listening in on everything."

"What did you do?" Emily's voice was quiet but hard.

"Narcissa was distraught over the Dark Lord's plans for her son. Bellatrix was furious that she had come to talk to me and tried to talk her out of it at every opening she could get in the conversation. I kept thinking, Emily, if you had not intervened in my life, it might have been me so cruelly trapped, and perhaps it might have been my child fed to the anger of the Dark Lord. A Death Eater would have cast them out and told them it wasn't his problem if a woman's husband was an idiot and their only child the cost of that foolishness. What would you have me do, Emily?"

Her voice was now soft and gentle. "What did you do?"

"Knowing that it was Dumbledore's own wish that I take on that task? I made an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa. I promised to look after her son in all of this and to complete the task if he is unable."

Emily couldn't speak for a moment. She resumed caressing her husband's head as his life flashed before her. In an instant she recalled the shy child who almost never smiled, the angry youth who would never get his heart's greatest desire, and the young man who took on more of his generation's cares than were his share. Now, just when he should be reaching the time of his greatest accomplishments in life, he must again take on more cares than belonged to him. It wasn't right. She sighed.

"Do you think I did wrong, Emily? Should I renege on the vow and take the penalty?"

"Oh, no, Severus, never! I don't see what else you could have done, not with that witch in the room with you, not with Peter listening to every word, not knowing what Dumbledore wants, too. I was simply wishing that it didn't always fall to you."

"There's not much use in wishing that."

"No."

"The rat went to report to the Dark Lord I suppose. I left soon after he did. He will have a fine time gaining re-entry without me there, when he comes back."

"Shouldn't you go back, then?"

"Perhaps, but I wish to be with my wife. I need an antidote to the unwomanliness of Bellatrix and the desperation of Narcissa."

"That's a great deal to combat. Do you think I'm equal to the task?"

"Of that I have no doubt." His hands and lips started moving until she gently pushed him onto his back. He submitted to her ministrations until the point at which he guided her body over his and they moved together. He allowed the contentment to overcome him and a while later they were both fast asleep.

* * *

A week or two later Professor Severus Snape arrived at his mother-in-law's home as planned for an evening with his family. When he arrived, no one was present except his daughter and son, who were in the sitting room. A house-elf was peeking into the sitting room from the dining room, glancing back at the perfectly set table and wringing her hands. Hope, in particular, looked glum, and slumped over. "You're in the house by yourselves?" he asked, a trace of condemnation in his voice.

"We just Flooed over from the hospital a few minutes ago because we knew you would be here. Mum and Grandma have a patient who isn't expected to survive until morning. Mum says she'll be here soon; Grandma will probably stay for the end."

"And why is my best Hope sitting here looking so...hopeless?"

"Oh, Daddy!" The girl rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Truly, Little Girl, what's the matter?" He sat next to her and put an arm around her.

"You hate him, anyway."

"Ah, so I deduce that Neville Longbottom is involved. Do I need to pull the rest out, too?"

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't, actually, have any opinion on the boy one way or another. He's not a very good student and I would have preferred other sorts of companions for you, but your mother keeps pointing out that he's a good, well-mannered young man and he does seem to have emerging talents now that he's had a chance to grow into them."

"Well..." The girl drew it out, and then dove in. "We've been hanging around together in the greenhouses at the hospital, and now Neville invited Hannah Abbott to join us, which isn't fair because he would never have gotten to go up there if Grandma hadn't taken us years ago, and today when they didn't think I was looking, they were kissing!" It all came out in one breath.

"That's hardly unexpected. Haven't those two become quite good friends in the past year or two?"

"Well, yes, but..." She looked up at her father, wishing Mum were handy. "The night of the Ministry raid I snuck up to the Hospital Wing to give him a note, and I couldn't help myself. I kissed him, Daddy, and it was wonderful, but now I don't know if he realized or not. I thought, maybe, with my kiss there..." It was a stupid thought and she couldn't finish it.

Severus wondered what was keeping the girl's mother. Emily was much better at dealing with these things. He went hot and cold at the same time at the thought of his daughter kissing a boy. She was sixteen, though, and he knew some of the girls started much younger... he suddenly realized what Hope had been thinking. "You thought that if your kiss was there, it would mark him and he wouldn't be able to kiss anyone else, didn't you?" His daughter kept her eyes firmly on the carpet as she nodded her head. He pulled her close. "Ah, little Hope, that's just what I might have tried, too."

"Daddy, it hurts so much!"

"I know, Little Girl." The remembered pain of his own disappointments washed over him and he wondered yet again where his wife could be. How could she attend someone else's death bed when her daughter needed her so desperately?

"How can I ever feel better?"

How, indeed? "Your mother... She helped me recover from a great disappointment, just by listening to me. One time she hugged me, like this."

The girl lifted her head and looked into her father's eyes. "Was there a girl you liked, Daddy, who didn't like you the same way?"

He hated to admit it. "Yes."

"Was she more beautiful than Mum?"

"At the time, she seemed so."

"Was she better than Mum?"

"No, but I loved her."

"Have I ever met her?"

"Not since you were old enough to remember."

"How did you get over it?"

"Your mother was there, and she helped me, and after a while I knew I loved her far more."

"You were old by then, weren't you?"

"A bit older than you are now."

"That's forever."

"It seems the blink of an eye to me."

They sat quietly for a while, watching Brendon zoom back and forth between the hall and sitting room on his toy broom. Severus caressed the curly head leaning on his shoulder, wondering absently how she had gotten so tall. The girl was an inch or two taller than her mother now. When did that happen?

A shower of sparks erupted from the fireplace and Emily stood before them.

"Good gracious! Aren't you sitting down to dinner, yet?"

"We had some things to talk over."

* * *

Several hours later Severus was holding his wife in his arms, playing absently with the shoulder strap of her night gown. "She really fancies him."

"She does."

"Did you know she kissed him?"

"I had wondered. She seemed so elated right after the Ministry raid, and then so dejected."

"He's demonstrated his fancy for the Abbott girl."

"She must be crushed."

"She saw them kissing when they didn't think she was watching."

"At least they weren't trying to hurt her."

"I was reminded of the moment when you told me of Lily's wedding. All I could think was that I needed to keep Hope from doing something drastic."

"That's what I was thinking about you that night. Did I succeed?"

"It was pretty drastic. You changed my life, completely."

"Was it for the better?"

"Oh, yes. I might have ended up with Pettigrew spying on me much sooner the other way, and the fringe benefits are far better." He slid the strap over her shoulder and replaced his fingers with his lips.

Emily started working the buttons of her husband's night shirt. "Is this conversation at an end, then?"

"Adjourned, perhaps, pending further developments."

His lips followed the night gown down her body and she couldn't respond to anything but the feel of him. Words became murmurings which in turn became sighs and groans. Soon there was nothing between them and before long even the sighs wound down to a gentle silence.

_A/N: Thank you, all, for reading. The numbers on my hit count are quite intoxicating this week. As ever, thank you for the reviews Istani, debjunk, and angstycryingbaby47. A special thanks goes to Mark Darcy for being a wonderful beta reader._


	65. The Masters

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

On a day in late July, Emily arrived at the Headmaster's office in Hogwarts with the potions Severus told her she would need, as well as some treatments she wanted to investigate, herself. She gave the password to the gargoyle, knocked on the door, and entered as bid. She wasn't prepared for the look of disappointment she received when the Headmaster realized she had come instead of her husband.

"Where is Severus?"

"He was called by his other master and asked me to come. He wanted me to look over your condition, anyway."

"Very well." Dumbledore allowed her to roll up his sleeve to see the extent of the damage.

Emily's eyebrows lifted. "This goes farther up your arm than I had expected from Severus's description."

"He had said that it would slowly creep throughout my body."

"He's correct about that, but this seems faster than I would have expected. What have you been doing that would take more of your strength than usual?"

"I Apparated with the Potter boy, first to visit Horace Slughorn and then to take him to the Weasley's home."

"Perhaps that is what did it." The hand was cold and stiff. "Do you have much use of it at all?"

"It's still my wand hand."

"Let's see if we can help it, then." Emily gave the Headmaster the potions that Severus had prepared and massaged some emollients into the hand itself.

"Ow!" he complained, pulling his hand away, wincing and then flexing his fingers. "That's actually...better."

Emily placed the jar of lotion on the Headmaster's desk. "It's not a cure, exactly, although it will assist the potions at keeping the curse at bay. However, it will help to relax the stiffness and maintain your abilities for as long as possible. You do need to conserve your strength, Albus, if you plan to live out this school year." Emily put the other potion bottles into her bag and cleared up.

"I will take it, as they say, under advisement?" Dumbledore looked over his glasses and conjured a chair. "Take a cup of tea with me, Emily."

She sighed and sat down, gingerly. She always said more in these conversations than she intended. "I guess I have a few minutes..."

"Splendid." Lifting a teapot that appeared to have come from nowhere, he poured. "So tell me, Emily, how have you and Severus handled your separation this summer?"

"It has its difficulties," she answered, before looking into the eyes that were watching her. Somehow he was pulling more out of her.

"How is Severus dealing with all of this?"

"It's hard on him. He has a great deal to work with, what with the demands you have placed upon him, and the Dark Lord's and Narcissa's demands, too. Receiving his contract for the coming school year only reinforced the fact that we are all in grave danger. The thought that he will have to say goodbye to you, and to Hogwarts, too, because of the jinx, was too much for him."

"I always meant for him to have that subject eventually, and now we need him to take it on. No one will prepare the students better, and if things happen as I hope, it will not be goodbye to Hogwarts for Professor Snape. I think it will all work to his advantage."

Emily recoiled at the thought. "It was horribly upsetting for him to finally receive what he has always wanted, _this_ year of all years, and to know what you expect in exchange. Is there no other way, Albus?"

"It's the obvious thing to do, and think of the suffering he will spare me."

Emily became angry. "Just because you will be gone doesn't mean the suffering will end, Albus. What about the suffering of those who love you? What about my husband? What will he suffer for having done this thing? What will his family suffer because of it?"

"Emily, Emily, what will you suffer when your husband's other master decides he's untrustworthy? Voldemort would kill him and then the rest of you. What about your children, Hope and Brendon, and the others that will surely come? I have cherished a hope that you would name one for me."

Emily gave him a tortured look.

"My own troubles are of secondary interest, Emily. What matters is that Severus continue as the confidante of Voldemort, that is, as much as anyone can have his confidence. It's important for that trust to grow so that Severus can be of the greatest use to those who fight against Voldemort. I don't fool myself into thinking the Order will continue past my last breath, but there will be groups of people who will continue to work for our goals. The cost to your family is tremendous, but it will work best in the end. That Voldemort be destroyed for good is our goal and to that end, no sacrifice is too great."

Emily's eyes teared up as she tried to grasp what he was saying. "I've always wondered—why didn't you kill Grindlewald?"

This time Dumbledore broke the stare. "Ah, Gellert... I told you before, Emily, I had to destroy what I loved. Once I had accomplished that, it didn't seem necessary or reasonable to take it any farther. You're right about the continuation of the suffering. I've suffered since the day my sister died. She had eyes very much like Hope's, you know. She had a troubled childhood, through no fault of her own. Muggle boys had hurt her and there was no way to reverse the damage. Now I know a bit of that." He waved his wand hand.

"When her troubles ended, mine truly began. I was separated from my dearest one forever, and my brother hasn't quite trusted me since that time. Then I waited, perhaps far too long, to rid the world of an evil that was encroaching... What a different world it would be if Ariana was not the one killed that day."

He roused himself. "I'm sure your family's needs require you to get home, Emily. Please realize that in all the plans I have made, I think this will have the best outcome for as many people as possible, including your family."

Emily walked toward the gates of the school, lost in thought. Once again she couldn't decide whether the Headmaster was being utilitarian or kind, or a mixture of both. Once again she wondered if he knew the answer to that question himself. As she reached the gates and Filch let her out, she roused herself to look around carefully before she stepped off the grounds and Disapparated.

* * *

Severus Snape was having a different sort of conversation with his other master. It was always a bit of a concern when one was summoned to the Dark Lord's side alone. One never knew for sure whether he would return from such meetings.

"Severus, young Draco Malfoy has taken my Mark and is poised to take on the task I have given him. I hope you will continue to be his mentor at the school."

"I shall strive to help him in any capacity he requests, master."

"Good, and should he fail?"

"I understand that you still wish me to continue his task?"

"Excellent. Now I ponder the growth of my organization and it occurs to me that another might take her place within it. When does Margo Snape take my Mark?"

Severus was not prepared for the panic that came at the thought. "Master, she's still so young."

"As I recall, she's older than young Malfoy, Severus."

"Her head is filled with boys and romance, she would not be a very clear-headed servant at this time, master. She also hopes to follow her mother's footsteps into St. Mungo's. You know they prefer not to show sides."

"So young Margo may be willing to take my Mark after I've subdued the Ministry and the hospital?"

"I think at that time she might be ready."

"She does not take sides against me?"

"Of course not. It would compromise her with the Healers whom she wishes to join."

"Perhaps it's for the best. Girls can be a bit foolish. Let her experience her boys and her romance, and let her come to me when she tires of it. Perhaps by then we will have brought the Healers to understand their position in our world. And Severus, be sure she gets over it. I've heard of her talents. I would hate to waste them on nothing more than a pure-blood marriage and children. Your grandchildren will be great, but I would prefer to allow your children to be great, first."

"Yes, master."

"How do you enjoy the services of Wormtail, Severus?"

"He has been helpful." Severus couldn't quite keep a note of strain from his voice.

"He's been a damned nuisance, you wish to say. Never mind. I will have him moved, soon, and your wife can return to her home for the remainder of the summer." Severus didn't show his relief at the news. Voldemort warmed to his topic. "Ah, soon the old fool will be out of the way and you will rise to your proper position. Potter will be eliminated after that. The world will fear us and Emily will take on the role I have intended for her. After so many years and so many plans, we will conquer Death itself. The name of Snape will become great, Severus, don't forget that."

"I won't, master."

The Dark Lord roused himself from his reverie. "I shall not be seeing you again before the school year begins. Keep your eyes out for ways to help young Malfoy and find out what you can about Dumbledore's activities. He's already moved Potter from his Aunt's house, I know, and will have him well protected by Aurors and Order members until he gets the boy to Hogwarts."

"Yes, master."

Lord Voldemort waved him away. Severus left before the next servant arrived. He was eager to find out how Emily had found the Headmaster. After several days of separation, he was simply eager to be with his wife.

The next servant to arrive was one of Voldemort's oldest helpers. "Nott, how kind of you to come. I would like to discuss your son, Theodore. What can you tell me of his friendship with Snape's daughter, Margo?"

_A/N: I very much appreciate the comments I'm getting in the reviews! Thanks to angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky and Istani. Thank you, especially, to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	66. Fall at Hogwarts

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

_

* * *

_

Dear Hope,

_It seems odd not to be writing with a problem in potions. I don't know if I ever thanked you properly for helping me to scrape by with an A on my O.W.L. I'm sure it would have been a T without your help all these years._

_I do have a problem with D.A.D.A. and Charms. I noticed in both classes that you seemed to have no problem with the silent spells. How do you do that so easily? Even Hermione Granger had to work hard on it all week._

_I hope you don't mind that I've brought someone with me when I go to the library to listen in on your study sessions. She gets so intimidated by some of the professors, but she's a lot better at the spell work than she seems._

_You stopped coming to the hospital and then you didn't write very much over the summer. I hope you're not mad at me._

_Sincerely,  
__Lucky_

* * *

Margo Snape read the note and sighed. The adventure of passing notes and helping the helpless was fading. She knew what she would like to write back, but Neville wasn't interested. Daddy was nice about things and all, but she knew he was disappointed in how she felt. Daddy was preoccupied these days, though. He had something major on his mind and was having a difficult time keeping Malfoy in line.

Malfoy was another odd situation. At times he seemed almost frantic while at others he had an even greater swagger than before. His attentions were getting more and more pointed and Margo was getting to the point where she would have to use a curse that would be fairly disabling. Daddy was keeping an eye on Draco, but Draco was getting pretty rude to Daddy. From word around the common room, Draco blamed Daddy for his own father getting caught in that Ministry raid. It seemed frankly stupid to Margo. If Lucius Malfoy, with all of his Ministry connections, couldn't keep himself out of jail, what was Daddy supposed to do?

Come to think of it, Neville was one of Margo's simpler relationships. If she just gave him the clues he needed to figure out his schoolwork, he would be happy. She found a piece of parchment that was about the correct size and started to write.

_Dear Lucky,_

_Unspoken magic comes to me somewhat naturally, I guess. You may remember that we could all do it in different ways before we even had wands. Just remember what that was like. Do you remember how when we were little, we would want something so badly that our desire became the magic? Sometimes I think the wands and spells disconnect us from what we can do._

_I don't mind your girlfriend listening in, but we need to be very careful, you know. House rivalries are worse than ever. We need to avoid adding to the conflict._

_I haven't written much because things have been somewhat tough around our house. Daddy had some reason for needing to stay at his house all summer but the rest of us did what we usually do in the summer. It hasn't been easy on Mum. Daddy's preoccupied about something, too. Harry Potter's theatrics don't help, either. I know he's had a tough time of things, but he needn't act as if the rest of us don't matter. A lot of people are having problems, just like him._

_Enough grousing, you probably want some of the following notes for your essay in Charms._

_Sincerely,  
__Hope_

* * *

"We finally have our little meeting, Potter. I'm glad you could make it. How fortunate for us that Headmaster Dumbledore does not require your presence tonight."

The boy sat down and looked up at him belligerently.

"You seem particularly angry with me, Potter." Professor Snape had an impression of emotion over the death of Sirius Black and his eyebrows raised slightly. If Dumbledore did not see fit to enlighten the boy, Professor Snape would not, either. "Well, Potter, we've all suffered losses this summer. You can hardly consider yourself exempt. As Miss Robins no doubt told you, I need you to sort through flobberworms. You need to use your bare hands, as it's impossible to tell which are good through gloves."

He pointed out the table where the flobberworms were laid out and moved to sit down at his desk, where a stack of essays awaited. He looked at the face of the boy as he began his task. As usual, no Legilimency was needed to know what the boy was thinking. "Feel free to say what's on your mind, Potter. There are several other potions ingredients that could be prepared. Professor Slughorn is an excellent teacher, but far too permissive. He allows you students to get things into a horrible state."

For once Potter worked quickly and efficiently. In less than an hour, Professor Snape was standing in the doorway of his own apartment, watching his wife carry his sleepy son to bed. He sat down and poured some elf-made wine that Emily had set out. In just a few minutes she reappeared, the top of her robes unfastened, and curls escaping from where her hair was pinned up.

"Is he really down for the night?"

"The day-care center took the kids to play outside. He's completely worn out."

"So what are your plans for me this evening?"

"I thought we could start with a little passionate necking, and then see what happens."

He held a glass out to her and she sat with him on the couch. He fingered the collar of her blouse. "You're all unbuttoned again."

"Is that a problem?" she asked.

"Not at this time of day," he responded. They drank some of the wine and then started kissing. The pressures of the day receded as they spoke of various events. Severus spoke of his detention with Harry Potter as Emily described arriving at the hospital to learn that due to a scheduling conflict she wasn't needed. She took advantage of the opportunity to do a little shopping.

They kissed some more and Severus worked his way down his wife's throat. "Mmmm, I can hardly do the same," she said. "Someone is buttoned and tied completely." She started to unfasten his collar, a process that was complicated by the feelings his lips were giving her.

"You know it's important to do things properly," he replied.

"I suppose someday I'll be glad you always have yourself fastened so tightly. I don't expect it to save your life or anything, though. Aha, success!" She had found her way down to bare skin and applied her lips with great fervor.

"You never know...wait, Emily, you're getting ahead of me..." She giggled as he worked to unfasten her clothing and giggled some more as he put his hands on her shoulders and pushed some space in between them.

"This is new," he said, nodding toward a wispy garment he had never seen before. The word "garment" was perhaps a bit of an exaggeration.

Emily blushed. "Do you like it?"

"Very much. What else did you get today?" He didn't wait for the answer but continued working her fastenings as she shrieked with laughter. Before long they had taken each other to a place only they knew. No impossible tasks were there, no threats from maniac wizards were there, no students were there, and no patients were there. It was simply the two of them.

* * *

There was no doubt that Margo Snape had blossomed over the summer. She had always been striking with her dark blue eyes, curly black hair, and pale face. Now she had reached a graceful height and was slim but her snug jumper showed that she was definitely curvy in the places a boy could admire. On this particular morning, she had come prepared to go straight to Hogsmeade without returning to her dorm after breakfast. She accepted the assistance of Theodore Nott, who placed her cloak over her shoulders with a flourish.

Looking from across the Great Hall, Neville Longbottom watched a sweet blush creep over Margo's face and thought she had become quite pretty, indeed. He saw the soft look in her eyes as she took Nott's arm and walked toward the door. Her mouth twisted in amusement at something Nott said to her and Neville's own mouth burned with the memory of the kiss she had given him. Nott glanced around the room with a look of triumph in his face. Neville put down his orange juice; it was turning his stomach sour.

He looked at the parchment in his other hand. Hannah had a rough time since her mother had died. She was trying to take care of her dad, now, and wasn't sure when she would be back to school. Hannah was so good and steady. She had the peaches and cream complexion he admired. She was always soft-spoken, and he knew she would never best him in a duel. In short, she was his type, the sort of girl he had known from childhood would be for him. There was nothing unexpected about her and nothing intimidating. Best of all, she fancied him.

Neville looked up when he heard an enchanting laugh and saw a dark green cloak swirl away. He sighed and headed back to the common room. He should probably write Hannah back, she sounded so lonely. After that, he should get going on that essay he had to write for Snape. Somewhere he had the notes Hope had given him for that essay. If he was lucky, there was also a clue about how to begin his essay for Flitwick, too.

* * *

After a night spent pursuing pleasure in each other's company, Severus and Emily looked forward to a day with their son. They hoped that he would take a long nap or two and allow them further pursuits. The morning went as well as they could wish. They ate an early breakfast and went outside with the toddler to play in the cool autumn weather. Brendon tired as it got too cold and windy to play and they went back indoors. After hot cocoa and biscuits, he took a nap, allowing his parents to retire to their own room for an hour or so.

Unfortunately after lunch, Severus was summoned to the Hospital wing by Argus Filch, who was carefully carrying a necklace believed to be cursed. It seemed that Katie Bell had touched the necklace and had a terrible reaction to it. Severus examined the necklace and asked Emily to join him. They went and used such cures as they knew. Katie's condition stabilized, but her prognosis was still uncertain. Madam Pomfrey asked Emily to take Katie to St. Mungo's for her further treatment and with rueful smiles at each other the Snapes separated for the afternoon.

Severus spent the time speaking with Minerva and hearing the gossip associated with the incident. He also studied the necklace and tried to establish the exact nature of the curse attached to it. He sent word to Emily, who sent word back. Using his information they were able to find a way to heal the student.

Brendon had been in bed a while when a noise from the fireplace informed Severus of Emily's return. She straightened up and brushed ashes from her robes as she walked toward him, smiling. "You're not all buttoned up, tonight," she said.

Severus put down the issue of _Practical Potionmaking_ he was looking through. "It seems our son enjoys getting as much water on his father as possible when taking his bath. I didn't see much use in putting on anything other than this dressing gown when I finally got us dry."

"Nothing at all?" she asked softly, her lips twitching in a smile.

"You'll have to see what you find," he responded with a smirk. He patted the couch next to himself. "Have you eaten? We can have the house-elves get you something..."

"I'm fine, thank you. Things were pretty touchy until you sent me that message. I thought we might lose her. We could keep it from causing further damage, but the curse wouldn't stop moving through her body. After we heard from you, we were able to apply the proper counter-spell. Then we took turns watching her and grabbing a meal. The potions continued reversing the damage and I think she may come out of it completely. It will be a while, perhaps months." Emily was playing with the hands she loved and on impulse kissed them. "We can chalk one up to Severus Snape saving a life, today."

"If only it were so easy as to balance it. Today I helped save a life, will it balance the fact that soon I must take one?" Emily looked up in dismay as he shook his head. "Potter saw Draco Malfoy looking at that very necklace in a Knockturn Alley shop a long time ago. He's convinced that Draco is somehow to blame for this."

"Do you suppose that somehow Draco was trying to use it to fulfill his task?"

"He was serving a detention with Minerva, but somehow it might be possible. It's very sloppy, though. There will be a lot of trouble if someone else is hurt. The boy refuses to confide in me. I can't seem to convince him that I have his best interests in mind."

"I know you'll find a way to make this work."

"Hm. I'll talk to Albus when he comes back." The conversation was over and he stared at his wife for a while. "It's pretty rare that my wife is more buttoned up than I am," he observed. His eyes became intent.

Emily suddenly lost her breath. "Is that a problem?"

"Not if it's only for a few minutes." His hands slid up under her robe and started massaging her legs.

"Severus?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think a change...of venue...might be warranted?" Emily turned her head to watch as her skirt fell to the floor.

"That's an excellent idea." Before Emily could stand, Severus picked her up and carried her into the bedroom where he slid his hands along her legs again. They were well on their way toward ecstasy together. A while later Severus held Emily tightly, whispering words she would never tire of hearing as she folded herself deeply within his arms and clung to him.

_A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews and for reading! Thanks to angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and Istani. To williammoselysgirl, speaking as a mom, I'm just as happy that you're working so hard on your schoolwork; it will take you farther in the long run. Special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy for all the hard work._


	67. Slughorn's Party

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Lucky,_

_I don't know a single person who thought much of Zacharias Smith's announcing capabilities. I have no idea what McGonagall was thinking in selecting him. I'm no fan of Gryffindor, of course, but I was pretty amused by the way Weasley plowed into him at the end of the game._

_Rumors are flying hard and fast about what happened to the Slytherin team. I've actually heard that Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle have taken themselves off of it this year. I can't imagine why they would do such a thing, and why they wouldn't even come to the game. It was very odd._

_You had questions about D.A.D.A. Here are some of the things I think you missed._

_Sincerely,  
__Hope_

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_Thank you for the notes on D.A.D.A. They were exactly what I needed. For some reason I find it easier to do the spells than explain how they work. I notice you're pretty good at all of it._

_I've been buttonholed into going to that party in Slughorn's office right before Christmas. I hope I can still go home afterwards. I want to see my parents in the hospital and I really want to see my other friend._

_Speaking of friends, you seem to be seen with your one house mate a great deal, lately. Are you a couple?_

_Sincerely,  
__Lucky_

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_No, we're not dating. He's just a really nice to me. His family has put a lot of pressure on him to join a group we've discussed, but it's completely not his scene. He's staying at school over the Holidays because he's so tired of hearing about it. I think he's just a loner like me and needs someone to talk to._

_I'll be at the party in Slughorn's office, too. It will be interesting to see what sort of people he has come. He said he's got some former students coming. If it's just my parents, well, thanks, but I've met them._

_That's pretty rough, what your one friend is going through. I would be pretty upset if it happened to my family, and I think Daddy would all but fall apart. I hope she gets to come back to school or something. I guess I'll see you at Slughorn's party._

_Sincerely,  
__Hope_

_

* * *

_Margo Snape never did see Neville at Slughorn's party. She went with Ted and found herself cornered all night by people like Sanguini, whom Ted thankfully shooed away, and the Holyhead Harpies player who couldn't speak without going over her best game highlights. After an hour, her face was flushed and she was feeling hot with the press of the crowd.

"Why don't we go into the halls? It's cooler out there and we might get some air," suggested Ted.

She consented and they slipped out the door of Slughorn's office. They wandered the hallways somewhat aimlessly. Margo slipped a look at Ted. He was quite sophisticated in his dress robes. They were clearly made for occasions like this evening, and fit him perfectly. She hoped that she looked as nice.

She had requested and been given dress robes like the ones her mum had in sixth year. They were garnet red and the low square neckline showed that she was finally getting the curves she had craved for so long. Mum even let her wear her great-grandmother Prince's pearls for tonight. It was all a waste, though, since Neville didn't even see her.

They turned a corner and Ted stopped. Margo looked up and her breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her in a different way than he ever had before. It was scary and exciting and made her tingle. She backed up to the wall and Ted stood beside her, his one arm leaning on the wall near her head. She looked toward the floor and wondered what she was supposed to do. She thought she might know what was coming, but she had no idea whether she wanted it or how she could prepare or what she should do.

Ted tipped her chin up with his free hand and lowered his face toward hers. He looked into her eyes and saw her indecision. She wasn't forbidding him, though, and there was excitement and expectation in her face. He lowered his face a little more and brushed his lips over hers. He raised his face and looked again. She wasn't overcome with emotion, but she wasn't repulsed either. He tried again.

They were interrupted by the sound of a voice they both knew well, scolding another person and coming closer. They glimpsed around the corner and saw Margo's father leading Draco Malfoy into a nearby classroom and finishing what must have been a long-winded monologue.

"...You should know better than to lie about what you were doing in this hallway..."

The door shut and they could hear Draco yelling back, but not what either was saying. They returned to where they had been standing moments before. Ted looked at Margo and realized that whatever moment had existed was completely gone. He hid his disappointment.

"I guess we're not meant to date?"

"I'm so sorry, Ted. It was pleasant and all..."

"It wasn't what you were looking for. It wasn't really for me, either. My parents seemed to think I should try for you, though. They're under the impression that your family will practically be royalty by the time we graduate, and what do pure-bloods do but try to climb the social ladder?"

"Will you be in trouble?" Ted thought that if Margo would stop looking at him with such sympathy and kindness, it would be easier not to try to kiss her one more time.

"No, I don't think so. They suggested I try, they didn't demand it or anything. I'm actually interested in Lisa Turpin," he said, naming the first pure-blood girl he could think of.

"Oooh, Cousin Ernie would hate that. He's been begging her to go out. You should definitely ask her."

"I might." There was an awkward silence.

"Can we still be friends?"

He smiled. "Absolutely. Do you want to go back to the party?"

"Not really, it's kind of a bust, isn't it?"

"Let's head back to the common room, then."

They continued down the hallway they were in, rather than returning the way they had come. Therefore they never stumbled onto the fellow student who was crouched near the doorway just around the corner. The two inside that room continued to argue, never realizing they had so much of an audience.

* * *

"You were pretty cozy with Nott at Slughorn's party. Where did you disappear to?"

Hope blushed as she bent over some flowers in one of the hospital greenhouses. Apparently even though she hadn't seen Neville at the party, he had seen her. "It was sort of a trial. We went to the party together. Then we got hot and tired of the crowd so we sort of walked down a hallway. He kissed me and we decided we really shouldn't date. He took me back to my parents' rooms, and then he said goodnight and went back to his dorm."

"You kissed?"

"It wasn't that great. Not like—" Hope looked up and blushed some more and then looked down again.

Neville watched her carefully. "Not like what?"

She turned away and shrugged. "Nothing really."

"I didn't imagine that you kissed me in the Hospital Ward last spring, did I?"

"I don't know what made me do it. I just wanted to and I did."

"And it was better than Nott's kiss?" She looked up at him helplessly, as her face blanched and then turned a rosy hue. He took a step closer. "Hope?"

A new voice hailed them from the doorway. "I thought I might find you here. Neville, it's been ages!"

Margo backed away and looked unseeingly at some healing herbs. She was very aware of Neville's reunion with his girlfriend, but she wanted to at least give them the impression of privacy and space. She need not have worried. Hannah filled the room with the chatter of what she had been doing since leaving school and questions for Neville about his activities and how their friends at Hogwarts were doing.

In the face of a conversation that left her completely outside, Margo quickly regained her composure and nodded a farewell to Neville as she slipped away under the cover of the conversation. She wouldn't come back to St. Mungo's during the Holidays. Neville should have time alone with his girlfriend, and Margo needed to avoid certain questions, at least until she could face the answers calmly.

* * *

_Dear Hope,_

_I shouldn't have asked you about that one thing that happened. Maybe some things are just too personal. We're still friends, aren't we?_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucky_

Hope set the note down on her bed and stared at it as if it would bite her if she turned her back on it. She didn't know. If she and Neville stayed friends, she would at least be near him from time to time. She would get to have that sense of wellbeing that his presence always brought her, even if just for short moments, and even if it didn't really belong to her. However, she would also feel the dread of knowing Hannah was somewhere around, ready to show who Neville really liked. It was a lot to suffer. Hope sighed and blinked her eyes hard. There was really no question of which she would choose. She took up her quill and found a piece of parchment.

_Dear Lucky,_

_Don't be silly. Of course we're still friends. One friend who's worried about the other friend might be inspired to kiss him if he's hurt. It's nothing major, is it? It needn't affect our whole lives or anything._

_I suspect you need some notes about what we did in D.A.D.A. the other day. Here you are._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_A/N: A lot has been said about poor misguided Neville. He's only 16 years old; he'll figure it out. Meanwhile, things are going to happen soon, and I'm sure you all know what things._

_Thank you friends, for reviewing: angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. From the patterns of my hit count, I suspect there are some others of you reading your way through the story. I hope that means you're enjoying it. Special thanks go to beta reader Mark Darcy, who is truly tireless in reading and commenting._


	68. Preparing for Battle

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter falls within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. A short portion of the conversation between Albus and Severus is almost verbatim from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with some small changes to fit the flow of my story and my storyline better.  
_

Winter passed uneventfully into spring. The Defense professor walked into his office after class one afternoon to see his wife sealing ampules over a flame on the work surface he used for private potions-making. She had made quite a few and was concentrated over her work when he walked in. She didn't realize he had come, and he watched for a moment as she worked. Then Emily compared her work to a list at her side and saw him.

"Class is over? I wonder, then, if you can either get these potions for me or make them." She handed him a second list on which she had written eight or ten healing concoctions.

"Certainly, but don't you have brewers at St. Mungo's?"

"This isn't for St. Mungo's. It's for my private stores."

Severus looked at the bag full of supplies, the counter top, and then his wife. "Emily, you must have close to twenty ampules, vials, and jars here. What is it all for?"

She blushed and he could see her trying to figure out a good fib. She finally elected to tell the truth. "I've been thinking about all the different ways you could be injured or hurt and I've been collecting antidotes, healing potions, and ointments for them all. I still lack the ones on that list."

"Are you expecting to be by my side if I'm hurt?"

"It's the flaw in my plan, I admit, but I'm hoping that somehow I'll be near you or that I can get to you quickly. You can improve our odds. I have some first aids here that I think you should carry at all times.

"Blood-Replenishing Potion, Invigoration Draught, Murtlap Essence, Skelo-Gro—Emily, if I carry all of these, I'll be a walking medicine cabinet." He caught himself from laughing when he saw her face.

"At least carry the Blood-Replenishing Potion, the Dittany, and the Murtlap Essence, please, Severus?" She was looking at him earnestly. "I worry. Every time I see an injury at the hospital, I wonder how I can protect you from the same thing. I wake up at night, remember something I saw in the first war, and try to remember exactly how I treated it. Please, just help me pull these things together and somehow, I don't know how, there will be a way for me to help you on the day that something bad happens."

There was nothing Severus could do at that point but pull her into his arms and plant kisses on the top of her head. There was nothing to do but thank her for her preparations and promise to help her complete them. Her passion for him and his wellbeing could be so humbling, sometimes.

* * *

After an evening shift at the hospital, Emily stepped out of the fireplace at Hogwarts to discover her husband sprawled in his favorite chair in the sitting room. His robe was no where to be seen, and his shirt was half unbuttoned. His face was hidden by a washcloth. The cause of this uncharacteristic pose appeared to be the bottle of Old Ogden's sitting on the coffee table. From the litter on the table, it appeared the bottle had just been opened, but it was half to two thirds empty. The table also contained a copy of their sixth year potions text, opened to a seemingly random page.

"Tough day?"

"You wouldn't believe." It was more of a groan than a statement.

Emily fetched a bottle of the appropriate restorative potion and brought him a dose. Severus took it gratefully as she stood behind him and then removed the wash cloth and started rubbing his head. She worked her way down the back of his neck and then his shoulders before he started speaking.

"That book...all my notes...it's not mine."

"What book?"

"Sixth year Potions. Do you remember, Borage's _Advanced Potion Making_? At the beginning of the year Horace asked to borrow my copy for a few weeks and then I got it back and didn't think about it. Now I see," he said as he waved at the book on the table, "that I didn't get my own book back. The covers were removed and switched. Potter's been using my book all this time and trying out my spells."

"They're mostly harmless."

"I had _Sectumsempra_ in it, on that very page." He stabbed at the book with his finger as he said each of the last three words. The book lifted up and settled back onto the table as if ashamed of itself.

Emily gasped and her hands stopped their work. "What happened?"

"Malfoy and Potter, fighting as always, in a boy's bathroom this time. Draco was using _Crucio_, and Potter decided to try out _Sectumsempra_. He says he had no idea what it does. I have to believe that, just as I have to believe Draco was really using an Unforgivable."

"Was he badly hurt?"

"I got there minutes after it happened. Peeves and Myrtle were screaming at the top of their lungs. Do ghosts have functioning lungs, Emily?" He twisted his head to look at her with his question. She smiled and shook her head. He waved his hand and twisted back around, allowing her to rub some more. "Draco will be fine, although there might be some light scars. Narcissa came immediately and is with him. She reamed me out and is looking for other people to yell at, too. If I had not been so close..."

"I don't see why you blame yourself."

"I would never expect Potter to try to figure out what it does before he used it, but I don't know why the Granger girl didn't tell him."

"He must not have shown it to her."

His shoulders tensed back up as he brought his hands up and raked his fingers through his hair. "The irony of it, that Potter's son should use my spells. All year, Horace has been twitting me that he's never had a better Potions student, when now I know he's had a student who was exactly as good. Better, because those are _my_ notes. _I_ thought of those improvements to all the directions. Emily, will any of this ever end? Will they _ever_ stop tormenting me?"

She knew whom he meant. "They were always jealous, and they did recognize good spells when they saw them." She walked back around the chair and kissed him, then pulled him up. "You need your rest. Come to bed."

"Now there's an idea..."

"Yes, my dear, it's a very good idea."

She spoke soothingly to him and led him to the bedroom. He let her undress him and help him into his nightshirt. He lay against the pillows and made bold suggestions as she changed into her nightgown. He reached for her as she extinguished the candles, but readily acquiesced when she pulled him into her arms and started soothing his temples with her fingertips. He was snoring soundly long before she stopped rubbing.

* * *

It was late at night and the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was arguing with the Headmaster. All of this time, his entire adult life, he had been working toward a goal. Now he was told something completely different. After everything else Dumbledore wanted him to do, he would have to somehow gain the boy's trust and then send that same boy to a terrible fate. This was not what Lily would want, Severus was sure. He gave vent to his distress.

"I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter—"

"But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"

"For _him_?" he shouted. "_Expecto_ _Patronum!_"

From the tip of his wand burst a silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape.

"After all this time?"

Severus shrugged, refusing to meet the Headmaster's eyes.

"That's not the Patronus I've seen from you, lately. Do you care to explain how you cast that one _and_ your normal one?"

Severus stood and took the Pensieve from its spot in the cupboard and placed it on the Headmaster's desk. He put his wand to his head and obtained a single strand of memory, which he placed within the Pensieve, all the while giving Dumbledore a look that dared him to explore the memory. The Headmaster dared.

_He was dancing with Lily and she was perfectly happy to be with him. She wasn't complaining about his friends or scolding him for exploring the Dark Arts. She looked beautiful in her dress robes and she smiled up at him as she told him how delighted she was things had turned out so well. It was his most perfect memory of Lily._

_An instant later the dancers shifted and Severus looked over on the dance floor to where the bride of the party danced with Sirius Black. It rankled, but Black would not spend the night with Emily. Severus looked down to the woman in his arms and decided to enjoy this perfect moment._

"You can produce a Patronus from that one short memory at your wedding, Severus?" The Headmaster looked speculatively at him while he retrieved his memory and placed it back in his mind.

"It was my moment of greatest happiness with her."

"And your usual Patronus?"

"You're asking quite a bit, tonight."

"Call it a dying wish." The Headmaster didn't notice the stricken look on the other man's face.

Severus sighed and placed a different memory within the Pensieve.

_He was a young man, placing a sleeping infant into her crib and then standing next to it, looking with love upon his daughter. An instant later he became aware of her standing in the doorway and turned. He couldn't speak, she was so beautiful. Her hair shone and her skin glowed. The teal lace gown was new and he could do nothing but look for a few minutes._

_She seemed a little worried. "My body is so different, now—"_

"_I'm nervous, too. I've never made love to the woman I know I love, before. It will be a first time for both of us."_

_Her eyes shone as he walked toward her and took her hand. Together they walked to their own bedroom and stood beside the bed. He almost didn't know what to do with his hands and finally used them to lift her face to his lips. He kissed her everywhere, her eyes, her forehead, her chin, and finally her lips._

_His hands knew what they were doing now and they caressed her throat before moving down to her shoulders. Her arms went around him as they continued kissing. His hands tangled in the thin straps and then he eased her down to the bed as the gown fell into a pool of lace on the floor._

Dumbledore returned to his chair. "That ended rather abruptly." He noticed that Severus hastened to return this memory to his mind.

"The portion I care to show you ends abruptly. The full memory is still ongoing."

"Both memories are really about your wife."

"The second one is the reason I do anything anymore. It's all for the life we hope to share when this is over and for the life we are able to share now. The first one is about what I once hoped of Lily and is more illusion than reality. It reminds me of just how mistaken I once was and the debt I owe. I need it to have a reason to help you help Harry Potter, although now I question the wisdom of that."

"If all goes as I hope, and if the mistakes your dark master have made have the effects I think they will, all will be well, Severus."

"How can all be well if the boy dies?"

"If it is as I suspect, then somehow I think he survives, too."

* * *

Severus was in bed, but not asleep when Emily returned from the hospital. She quietly prepared herself for bed and slid next to him. As she kissed him goodnight, he rolled toward her and started kissing her passionately, pulling at her nightgown and hoping that she would be willing. She helped him with her nightgown and then with his nightshirt and then abandoned herself to his caresses and desires.

He held her tightly as she went to sleep. Death would be his companion from now on, but somehow she held it at bay. When they were together she brought him life, and not just in the form of their children. When he looked into her eyes, he caught glimpses of the world they would have if they could just get past the current troubles.

* * *

The next afternoon, Emily arrived at home to see Severus putting her clothes in a trunk.

"What are you doing?"

"I have a detention with Potter tomorrow morning."

"So you're packing up my things? Would it be obtuse to ask how they are connected?"

"I have duties on Sunday, so the entire weekend will be a waste. You may as well leave in the morning."

"Leave for where?"

"Brendon's things are packed."

"Excuse me, but I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me what is going on."

Severus pulled his head from a closet. "You have to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere without you. Severus, stop, and tell me what is going on."

She pulled him onto the bed next to her and held his hands. He looked at her and then looked away, his hair falling over his face. "It's going to be soon, Emily. I really have to do it, and it will be soon."

She reached out her hand to brush his hair out of his face, but he shied away from her touch and her hand stopped. "Are you sure?"

He took her hand and kissed the palm of it hungrily, before setting it in her lap and moving away from her again. "Albus is sure of it. He was giving me directions last night. I think they were meant to be _final_ directions. What I must do to Lily's son... Emily, I deserve to die just for thinking about doing all these things I have to do. What I will deserve for doing them is unspeakable. I can't have you here. I'll have to run as soon as I—as soon as it happens, and they might come after you. I don't know where this will end, I just hope I can protect you and the children..."

"Please stop." She turned his face so that she could look into his eyes and then took his hands again. "If you want us to go tomorrow, then we will. I can pack up later. Let's just enjoy this evening, if it's all we have. We should eat our dinner, and then we need to get Brendon settled for the night, and then..."

"And then..." he repeated, suddenly reaching over to her face and kissing her passionately.

A/N: I don't have to tell you what comes next. How does the Snape family face it all? That's for the next two chapters.

Thank you for reading. This story is approaching 10,000 hits! I really appreciate the reviews that have come, too. Several minor adjustments have been made because of them. Thanks to angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. A very special thanks to Mark Darcy, who has been beta reading all along.


	69. After the Tower

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter is within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

A few weeks after sending his wife to stay with her mother, Severus Snape was running. He was trying to stay far enough away from Potter that he wouldn't have to appear to try to kill the boy, while keeping the other boy ahead of him. In that moment he realized that running was likely to be a major part of his life for the foreseeable future. Some day this would all be over. Hopefully it would be worth it.

A flash from a spell came past him and he concentrated again on the running. He must keep Draco ahead of him, out of danger. Then there was no avoiding it. Signaling the others to keep moving, he turned and engaged the boy. How dare Potter use Snape's own spells, after everything that had been done for him this year? How dare he attempt Unforgivables?

Somehow he disarmed the boy and got the others to keep moving. They must leave the grounds of the school without hurting any more innocents. They finally all left and Apparated away, having been given directions to meet with the Dark Lord.

That wizard's delight knew no bounds. In his glee over the death of the wizard he considered his greatest threat, Lord Voldemort was eager to celebrate. He even congratulated Draco for getting Death Eaters into Hogwarts, overlooking the boy's inability to kill the Headmaster. His greatest praise was for Severus Snape, whom he embraced like a brother, if one's brother was as cold as a reptile and very nearly as soulless as one. After congratulating each person for his participation in the successful raid of Hogwarts, he sent them away, telling them he would summon them to a secure hiding place within the next day.

Snape went to Grimmauld Place first. Somewhere in that horrible house there had to be a reason for him to continue his charade. Somewhere there was a clue or a message, or something, anything that would give him the strength to continue. The Headmaster must have left something, somewhere, that would heal the break in his heart. The older wizard must have known that the final spell on the tower would damage Severus Snape as much as Albus Dumbledore.

He started in the kitchen, not expecting to find anything, and moved on to the parlors and sitting rooms. There were letters strewn on a desk, love notes from Nymphadora Tonks to Remus Lupin, of all people. This would have made him raise his eyebrows at any other time, but did not help him tonight. He looked again, but did not see anything promising.

He tried the bedrooms. He found Regulus's and started there. If the boy had changed sides, there was nothing to indicate it in his bedroom at his parents' house. He sighed. As he worked through the house, his last hope was the bedroom of Sirius Black.

He found a small pile of two and three line letters and notes from Emily. They didn't appear to be anything special, just notes to confirm or postpone a date back in their youth. There was a slightly longer one about a vacation. He had an almost identical one to that, somewhere. They didn't belong here, though, and he pocketed them. Then he set thoughts of Emily aside. Somehow he had to keep Emily separate from this. He couldn't think of her just yet because he had to concentrate on why he had participated in such evil. Since the magic had left his wand on the tower, he didn't know any more.

As he kept looking, he found it. There was a picture of _her_ with her little boy, just about a year old. She was looking up toward whoever was holding the camera and smiling with affection. Suddenly he was a young man again. His heart filled with the wishes and hopes they had all had so many years before. What happened tonight is what _she_ would have wanted because she would have agreed with Dumbledore. The young man he had been then would have done anything she wanted. He scanned through the letter. It was mostly nonsense about a lady that lived in the neighborhood. It mentioned Dumbledore, and the second page finished, "Love, Lily." His hands trembled as he read it, and he didn't notice the tears running down his face.

He took the second page of the letter and ripped the photograph in half, then folded both into one of his pockets. It wasn't much help. There was a time when he would have given anything for her love. Now it didn't matter, but it would have to do. He would look at them from time to time and he would remember why he was working so hard for a woman he had not loved in years.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He came back to himself and realized that if he had been looking for comfort, he had been wasting his time, because he never received it from Lily. There was one place he had always found comfort, and that was where he needed to be now. He made his way back to the hall of the house and eased out the door. Seeing no one on the street, he Disapparated.

Margo Smith's house was completely lit up, but Severus Snape could find no trace of people there other than those who should be. As he watched from a shadowy space across the street the windows slowly went dark. Finally, he watched a shadow that he knew was his wife as she carried a lone candle into the sitting room. It was now or never.

There were protective spells over the house, but they allowed him to pass without notice. Emily had told him she would trust him, but perhaps now that it was actually done it would be different. He quelled his doubts and slipped across the street. He knocked on the door, not sure of his welcome.

Her whisper was barely audible. "Severus! I'm so glad to see you!" Emily reached out her hand and pulled him into the house. "I was so worried. Are you injured?" He shook his head and let her lead him through the hallway. This is where he belonged. Her relief to see him was apparent in every motion and the love she had for him surrounded him and warmed the chill he felt all the way through to his soul.

She guided him into the sitting room where she doused the light and pulled him into her arms. Only Emily would know to do this. Only Emily would hold him and stroke his back and shoulders while kissing his forehead and making soothing sounds. Only Emily knew the price he had paid this night. Only Emily could listen to his tale quietly and without condemnation as the sun came up.

* * *

Margo Snape noticed that the school was in complete disarray the next morning. Before she could sit at the Slytherin table, Neville came right up to her, limping a bit, in the Great Hall where students were milling and no one ate breakfast.

"You! It's your family's fault!"

She shook her head. "I don't know what you mean. I didn't do anything."

"It was your father. He killed Dumbledore!" Other students were listening in.

Margo shook her head again. "It can't be. How could Dumbledore be dead? Anyway, my father loved Dumbledore and was working with him."

"So Harry Potter is a liar? He saw the whole thing up on the Astronomy Tower. Dumbledeore is dead and your father killed him."

Margo realized that Slytherin House had gathered behind her, with the rest of the school facing them. Luna Lovegood was standing beside Neville, trying to get him to sit down. He was waving her away while his eyes never left Margo's face.

"Somehow this is a mistake..." said Margo.

"It's not." Neville's face was red with an anger she would never have guessed was possible. "All this time, I thought—it was all a big show, wasn't it?"

"It was never like that."

"It doesn't matter what it was like, _Snape_. You're a traitor, just like your father."

Margo opened and closed her mouth, tears gathering in her eyes as those standing behind her took out their wands. With a rush of warmth she learned in that instant what it meant to belong to a House at Hogwarts. Slytherin would fight for her honor and the honor of their Head if it was necessary. She came to herself quickly. If she allowed this altercation to continue, it would end badly. She turned to her house mates.

"Stop, please! Ted," she said to the young man standing closest to her, "please make them stop. If it's really like he said, then we need to be careful. Don't let this turn into a house war, please."

Ted Nott looked hard at Margo but finally nodded and pocketed his own wand. Margo needed a moment. The tears would come for real any second, now. "Um, I think I need to go. Things will calm down if I'm not here..."

Margo backed out of the room. She pondered going to her father's office, but decided that if it really happened as Neville said, it was a waste of time. No one missed Margo Snape when she walked off the grounds and Disapparated. Arriving at her grandmother's terraced house, she ran in the door. "Mum! They're saying things about Daddy! Tell me it's not true, Mum!"

Hope walked into the family sitting room to see her parents clasped tightly together, hugging as if for dear life. Her Father looked overcome with grief and horror while her mother was trying to soothe him. When she came in, they parted and looked at her.

"Hope," croaked Daddy.

She looked from one to the other. "It's true?"

"It depends on what you heard," said Mum.

Hope looked at them. "They're saying that Daddy—that he—you _did_ kill him, didn't you?"

He didn't deny it and she looked at her mother. "Mum? How can you touch him after what he did?"

Emily reached and clutched her husband's hand. "You don't know the whole story, Hope."

Hope backed to the stairs. "I know that I don't want to be part of this family any more."

"Hope there are things we need to tell you—" her mother began.

"I don't want to hear it!" She ran up the stairs and into her bedroom.

Her parents were right behind her. Daddy tried the knob. "Margo Eileen Snape, open this door!"

"No! You're one of those Death Eaters after all!"

Severus looked at his wife, fresh grief in his face. Emily kissed him. "She doesn't understand any of it. Get cleaned up, there's a meal for you in the kitchen, and I'll try to sort her out."

"You fixed me a meal?"

"I asked a house-elf to do it. I hoped you would come."

"She will hate me forever."

"She's seventeen. Do you remember what we did when we were seventeen?"

He looked at her. "You suggested an arrangement that eventually changed our lives."

"She doesn't understand any of that and it's time to explain it to her."

"Emily, if I didn't have you to come home to..."

"You would manage somehow, but I'm glad to be the one you come home to." She kissed him again and pushed him in the direction of the bathroom.

Emily tapped on her daughter's bedroom door. "Hope? May I come in?"

"Is _he_ out there?"

"No, dear, he's gone." He had only gone as far as the wash room, but he wasn't in the immediate vicinity.

The door opened and Emily walked through, shutting it behind her. Hope was sitting on her bed, curled up with her pillows, and crying. Her mother walked over and sat next to her, running her fingers through the girl's hair.

"Mum, how could he?"

"He's not a Death Eater."

"How do you know?"

"He would be dead if he had ever attempted the oath."

"Mum, how is that possible?"

"Nineteen years and a bit ago, I knew a young man who had been disappointed in love. He thought that his life was over and he might as well join the Death Eaters. He was quite skilled in dark magic, although by that particular time he'd already started to study ways to keep it at bay. The Death Eaters had killed your grandfather—"

"They killed Daddy's mother, too."

"Yes, dear, but at this part of my story, they had only killed your grandfather, and I would do anything to keep this young man out of the Death Eaters, so I suggested a bargain of sorts. In exchange for his staying out of the Death Eaters, I would give him my virginity."

"You what?" This was an interesting turn, and not at all what one would expect from Mum.

"He didn't take me up on it for a long while. He really liked the other girl, but the day before she got married I guess I wore him down."

"You did that?"

"I couldn't think of anything else. What neither of us understood at the time, although the young man figured it out a few months later, is that we made a sort of Unbreakable Vow between us. He could never go back on the promise."

"You mean you had a Bonder in the room while you—?"

"We conceived her." Emily took her daughter's hand and pressed it.

"Me? I'm the Bonder?"

"Um-hm. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord was very interested in your father. Daddy had shown such interest before. He was known to be so very talented in the dark arts, and is likely the most powerful wizard of his generation. It was important to someone like He-who-must-not-be-named that someone like your father either work with him or be destroyed.

"The Dark Lord came to understood why your father couldn't join the Death Eaters and looked for ways to bring Daddy into his fold without killing him. Eventually his servants ended up killing your grandmother and we secretly asked Dumbledore for help. It was Dumbledore who figured out how we could make this all work and help those who fought against the Dark Lord."

"So then, why—why would Daddy kill him?"

"Since he couldn't join the Death Eaters, it was clear that some day your father would need to prove his loyalty to his so-called master. He and Dumbledore stayed up many nights trying to work out one scheme or another. Tell me something. When is the last time you saw the Headmaster?"

"A couple of weeks ago, when he was at dinner."

"I know you haven't started your training yet, but think like a Healer. How did he look to you?"

She closed her eyes to picture the event. "He was very sick and looked like he was failing."

"Last summer, the Headmaster ran afoul of a cursed object and it injured his health permanently. Your father, because he knew so much about ways to combat dark magic, was able to keep the curse from killing him outright, but could not remove it. Albus Dumbledore had a year or less to live. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord had a plot to have Draco Malfoy kill the Headmaster this school year and intended your father to do it as a back up.

"In Dumbledore's mind, this was the perfect opportunity and he made your father agree that when the time was right, your father would take the action that would convince Voldemort once and for all of Severus Snape's loyalty. They arranged that Dumbledore would give a signal and your father would do it."

The coins were falling into place. "So the boy was Draco, and this is the thing that Daddy was supposed to do?"

Mum gave her a look.

"I heard you talking all summer. I couldn't figure it all out, but now I think I understand. You've known all this time?"

Mum nodded.

"How could Daddy go along with it and still not be evil?"

"Margo Eileen, what was the last thing the Headmaster ever said to you?"

"He said, 'Your father is a good man and I trust him completely.' How could...Mum, how could they arrange such a thing?"

"Much of what your father and I have done has been to protect you, dear. There has always been the fear that the Death Eaters would kill you in the hope of breaking the vow between your father and me. Dumbledore's main goal has always been to protect Harry Potter. That young man has a task to fulfill and until he's ready to do it, the Headmaster wants him protected in every way possible."

"So this is all Dumbledore's plan, after all?"

"Yes, dear."

"What happens next?"

"For one thing, no one can know about any of this until it is all over, and maybe not even then. It will be quite difficult, given who your father is, because people will make cruel and ignorant comments, but you must remain as calm as possible and not try to justify anything. Use the Occlumency he taught you. Other than that, we need to see what happens."

"Do I have to go back to school? They all hate me now, even," she choked the words out, "even Neville. He was ready to start a duel with me in the Great Hall. It would have turned into a big fight with all the houses."

"I'll talk to Minerva. I'm not sure what they will do about finals this year. Why don't you rest for a while? We'll see what happens next."

"Neville hates me now."

"I'm sorry, but perhaps it was inevitable."

"The whole school was standing behind him when he told me off."

"The whole school?"

"No, Slytherin House stood behind me. I think they were really standing behind Daddy, in a way. They love him, don't they?"

"It's not obvious, but he does a lot for his students."

"Anyhow, it was Neville who told me about Dumbledore and he accused me of being part of it. He said we're all traitors."

"He was upset."

"I don't think he can break my heart a single bit more, but if he came to the door right now, I would want to be with him."

Mum's only answer was to run her hands through Hope's hair and kiss her forehead.

They sat for a few minutes.

"Um, Mum? You mean you weren't married yet, and you did _that_, and you didn't even love each other?"

Mum sighed. "It's not the recommended way of doing things, that's for sure. I was pretty desperate to keep your father from doing something horrible. I knew I loved him by the end of that day, and he figured it out after a while. We realized that we had really loved each other all along."

"He was that way over a girl?"

"Aren't you a little bit that way over a boy? Don't be too upset with Daddy. As soon as he knew about you, he wanted to get married so that he could be your Daddy. He's the one who said we would call you Hope. You are very much attached to the moment when he chose a different path for his life."

"You love each other, now, don't you?"

"Oh, yes, that's why we're going through Daddy's troubles together, at least as much as we can." Mum had a look on her face that worried Hope.

"What's going to happen?"

Mum shook her head. "I don't know, and I'm scared. Daddy will be safe to stay here today, but he has to hide with some other people and with You-Know-Who and I don't know when we'll see him again. The only thing we can really do to help him is to be as cheerful as possible when we're with him, so he won't worry about us when he has to be elsewhere."

"Is this what's had you worried all this time?"

"Yes, dear. Whenever you father has to go to _him_, there's a chance he will be hurt or killed. Spies get found out all the time and they rarely survive discovery."

"I'd like to go see Daddy, now."

"I think that's a good idea."

* * *

"Daddy?"

Severus looked up from his empty plate and the _Daily Prophet_, which had condemned him already. Hope walked over to him and hugged him.

"I'm sorry you had such a bad day, yesterday, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, Little Girl." His arms went around her as his eyes sought his wife's, which were bright with moisture. He held his daughter for as long as she hugged him. Finally she kissed him and went up to her bedroom.

Emily gathered up the empty dishes and cutlery and started to clean up. Her husband turned in his chair. "What did you do?"

"I told her everything."

"_Everything_?" He got up to help put the dishes away.

"I may have left out a few of the more prurient details about the night she was conceived, but I told her about our agreement, and about how you came to be working for both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord."

"You told her that Albus wanted me to—? What if she tells someone?"

"There's no one she could tell who would believe her. They will all say that of course she would say something like that."

He put his arms around her and his face on her shoulder.

"Emily, I'm lost. I want to go back and start all over again."

"We can't do that, Severus. Would you rather not have our children? Or our marriage?"

He let her lead him up the stairs. "What if someone comes to question you?" he asked.

"Scrimgeour and Moody have already been by to ask me where you were likely to go. I told them I had no idea that you were capable of what you had allegedly done, and therefore couldn't begin to guess what you might do next."

"They won't come here to look for me?"

"It was the first place they searched last night, and then Alastor Moody himself placed the spells that will not allow Death Eaters into this house. I chose not to enlighten them about our particular loophole."

"What about your mother?"

"Of course she doesn't understand it all, but she trusts me that it's not how it looks."

"Emily, I need you."

She undid his dressing gown and pushed it from his shoulders before guiding him onto the bed. "You _are_ injured." Her fingers traced several deep scratches on his back.

"Oh, that Hippogriff of Hagrid's...or is it Black's? You know the one I mean. It flew at me just before we got to the gates."

"I do know it." She bit her lip in concentration as she cleaned and dressed the wounds. Then for several minutes she kneaded the knots in his shoulders and back. She rubbed his arms and his legs, willing him to relax, and finally rolled him over. He watched as she undressed herself and slid down next to him. He let her draw his head to her welcoming softness and allowed himself to be comforted.

Emily let Severus set the pace of what happened next. He had always been so bold, so self-assured from the first time they had ever made love, but today he was tentative, almost fearful. Her heart broke for him as she returned his touches, hoping that he would gain some confidence from her love. He clung to her as if he were a drowning man, and when it was over he held her tightly, weeping.

_A/N: Well that's the worst part, at least for a while. Thank you all for sticking with it!_

_Thank you to reveiwers angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and Istani. A very special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	70. Comfort

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince._

Severus awoke to find that Emily had laid out clean clothing for him. The letter and picture he had found at Grimmauld Place were on his nightstand. Picking them up, he found the other objects he kept in his robe, including a picture of his own bride on her wedding day, looking radiantly beautiful. He picked that one up and kissed it.

"Nice save." Emily was standing in the doorway with a tray of food for him, smiling.

He gave her half a smile back. "I carry you close to my heart. This other... I needed something, anything, that would give perspective to the madness I've become part of. It's not much..."

Emily was laying out his dinner on a small table in their room. "I know that." There was a time when she would have been horribly jealous, but today he needed every comfort and any consolation that would help him recover from what had happened and enable him to continue what he must do.

"Emily, I need to leave, soon. You are in danger if I stay here, and I'm supposed to be in hiding with the others. They'll be interested enough in how I managed to get clean clothes and a decent meal."

"You think Narcissa Malfoy hasn't looked out for her precious boy today?" Emily asked before she relented. "Do you want dinner or me?"

"How hard would it be to talk you out of your knickers?"

"I'm not wearing any."

"Then I can _take_ my dinner."

This time he was still hesitant but was clearly regaining his confidence. Afterwards they were relaxing for a few last precious minutes when Severus turned his wife's face to look into his eyes. "Emily, he feels that his victory will happen soon. He means to bring you into his plans again."

"You mean for an heir?"

"There's something he plans to do after Harry Potter is killed and after that he will want you."

"If you can obey him and Albus Dumbledore, I can do it for your sake, but what of afterwards?"

"He wants us to have more Death Eaters."

Emily was a little timid. "What about you, Severus, can you still love me after—after _that_?"

"My only worry is that he will feel that he cannot get enough of you, as I cannot get enough of you. I should have to fight him for you in that event because I couldn't let him keep you. Never mind though, if Dumbledore's plans work it will never come to that."

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I guess you won't want to hear from me after this. Perhaps you don't even want this note. I can't say absolutely nothing, however. All of our years of being friends deserves some acknowledgment of the path things have taken._

_I can't argue with what you told me this morning. Neither can I argue with certain facts about which my mother informed me later today. I wish I could tell you everything I know, but I can't. I just beg you to leave a little thought in the back of your mind that not everything is as it seems. Please, for the sake of our long friendship._

_You carry your luck within you, and you will be great. I will continue to be proud to have at least been your friend for a while. Someday, when all of this is over, perhaps we can be friends again._

_Against that day, I remain in  
__Hope_

* * *

Not long after Severus had Apparated from their bedroom and Emily was preparing for a night shift at the hospital, Alastor Moody and Rufus Scrimgeour showed up with a squad of Magical Law Enforcement personnel. Most of the wizards and witches started searching the house.

Moody was particularly angry. "We know your husband is here, Mrs. Snape!"

Emily lifted an eyebrow. "You placed the protections yourself, Auror Moody, so that no Death Eater could get into this house. I have not tampered with them. Do you doubt your own work?"

"I'll be checking."

The Minister of Magic tried to temporize. "We understand that you would want to be loyal to your husband. It must be terrible knowing what he's capable of, Mrs. Snape, but we have to bring him to justice."

"Justice?" said Emily. "When it comes to how you people deal with my husband, justice is a non-issue. Tell me you want revenge for the death of Albus Dumbledore. Tell me you want to see someone suffer for your own incompetence at the Ministry because you fools couldn't deal with one bad wizard forty-five years ago. That I would believe."

"Do we need to take you in for questioning, Mrs. Snape?" Both of the men she was facing took a step toward her.

"Do you question my loyalties? After the way you two questioned me the day the Potters were killed and after the way I've patched you both up, time and again, since that day? If I had a grudge or questionable politics I could have hurt you mortally half a dozen times, each, by now. I can honestly say that I don't know where my husband is at this moment. I'm fairly certain that he's alive and safe but I don't know where he is."

"Has he been here?"

"Auror Moody's own charms have made it impossible for a Death Eater to enter this house."

"One of the Muggles in your neighborhood said that they saw a dark haired man here today. If it wasn't your husband, who could it have been?"

"Well now you really _are_ making accusations. Perhaps you should ask the Muggle."

They searched the house thoroughly, scaring Hope and Brendon in the process, and finally left. Emily fixed a quick dinner for herself and her children. An owl came to their kitchen window and Emily unwrapped the scroll. Suddenly she broke into a smile. There was a way to make some things easier, at least. She finished her dinner and left for St. Mungo's, giving Hope strict instructions to come immediately to the hospital with Brendon if anybody other than Grandma, Severus or Emily came to the house while she was gone. They wouldn't be alone long as Emily's mother should be returning from her own shift, soon.

* * *

The meeting with the Dark Lord was grueling, since he now wanted every detail. The Ministry had put its official version in the _Daily Prophet_ and gossip had started the rounds. He wanted to picture for himself how it was when Dumbledore's lifeless body went over the battlement and fell upon the ground below. Fortunately, there were several Death Eaters willing to fill in the blanks and the wizard who had performed the fatal spell could remain mostly silent.

Severus couldn't tell of the trusting look in Filius's eyes as he asked for help. He couldn't tell of the way the Headmaster looked, obviously completely spent after whatever he and Potter had done that night. He couldn't tell how the Headmaster had plead with him to cast the spell then and there. And he wouldn't tell how it felt to have his wand practically move into position on its own and to have the spell all but pulled from his lips. With what little strength Albus Dumbledore had left, he had somehow impelled Severus to perform the spell.

He let his remaining master see the hatred and revulsion he had experienced on that tower. It was sufficient to satisfy his master. Voldemort was too filled with glee to notice or care about the source of Severus's hatred and revulsion. He only noticed that the deed was done. The servant who had so often puzzled Lord Voldemort had now shown complete loyalty.

There was celebration and merriment of a sort. The Dark Lord brought Severus close and kissed him on both cheeks, presenting him to the group as the greatest of Lord Voldemort's servants. Severus had to stand and receive the accolades of his peers while taking note of the envy and resentment in their eyes.

After it was over, he went to the room indicated as his and lit the candle he found there. He carefully sealed his door and went through the room, looking for anything harmful and dealt with such things as he found them. He took off his robe and removed his coat, loosening his shirt. As he did, he discovered a small book in a pocket of his coat. He recalled that Emily had slid her hand into that pocket as she kissed him goodbye. This, then, was a parting gift from her. He recognized the book at once and his eyes moistened at her wish for him to have something of her when they were apart.

_8 September, 1971_

_Well, another day. Classes are great fun. Flitwick is a dear and McGonagall is nice enough if you're willing to work hard. I don't seem to fit in with the students, though. It's days like today that I miss Daddy the most. I could write to him and he would tell me that it's really not so bad. Somewhere there's a person here who will be my friend. He would probably be right. First I have to get rid of Cousin Stevie. It's like scraping Muggle bubblegum off the bottom of my shoes. He just won't go away. Thank goodness I can escape to Ravenclaw to get away from him._

_I did sort of meet someone. There's this boy who hangs around in the library a lot. He must be Slytherin since he's in Herbology with us. He's kind of thin and isn't in the highest quality robes. Most of his books have been used before, too. His face tells me that I want to meet him, even though he's never once looked at me. What is important is that he treats his books, even if they're old, like good friends. I could study with a person like that. I bet he's smart._

_So I sat down next to him in the library tonight after dinner, and asked if we could study together. I told him that he looked like he takes his school work seriously and that I did too. He told me the seat I was in was taken and then got up to greet another girl. She's a pretty Gryffindor. Everyone knows her name is Lily Evans. Her hair is more red than brown and her eyes are green. They say James Potter is dead gone over her, but she came to study with this boy. She called him Severus. He kicked my chair, and taking my cue I got up and left the library. My hair is dirt brown and my eyes are a sort of watered-out blue, nothing that interesting. No wonder even a boy like that would rather be friends with her._

He chuckled at the writing of the eleven-year-old Emily. How like herself she had been, even then. She had been so cheerful, even while mourning her father. Suddenly he found himself weeping over the way he mistreated her and he knew it was not just over that. He found parchment and quill and began to write.

_My dear wife,_

_I have just read a portion of your diary in which you introduced yourself to me. I never realized how lonely you must have been in those days, with your father's recent death. I found myself weeping over the way I treated you on that occasion and realized that my remorse for that allowed me to feel remorse for a more recent event. I've been so angry about it, that my hand would be forced in such a way, and grief stricken over the loss of a mentor. I don't know when I shall mail this, but I feel closer to you, having your diary to read and the opportunity to write back. Thank you._

Tapping the letter with his wand, he made the writing disappear. It wouldn't do to have anyone reading what he had written. The next days were filled with various meetings and practice of dueling skills. Severus was consulted by his master about a special skill he was working on. The Dark Lord asked his servant for thoughts on the best way to word and control the spell. Severus made suggestions and memorized the spell for his own potential use. He didn't know when he would ever want to fly without a broom, but it might be useful. When he was allowed time on his own, he again took out Emily's diary.

_6 June 1975_

_I wish Severus would get over the fact that Lily is angry with him. He was studying with me when Avery and Mulciber pranked on Mary MacDonald. I don't know if he's more mad that he was wasting time with me when he could have been along for the fun or if he's mad because Miss Perfect blames him for it._

_I won't say Mary had it coming, because what they did was a bit extreme. No one deserves that sort of treatment. I do think she could stand to shut her mouth a bit more often. Enter Lily, protector of everyone who she thinks needs protecting, whether they want it or not. If there's a wrong, she has to right it, even things that maybe don't need righting. Mary was sorted out and the perpetrators were punished. I don't see why Lily even had to jump in. It had nothing to do with her..._

_15 June 1976_

_I'm going to wring that girl's neck with my bare hands, if I see her before next fall. She's cruel and heartless and just plain evil. I get that she's not interested in Severus that way. The whole effing school gets it, except him. But to treat him as she has, as if he was just an ungrateful charity case to her that she's decided to drop...words cannot describe. Doesn't she see that she's pushing him further into what she wants him to stay away from?_

_Why can't she see how great he is and appreciate him for what he is and can do? He's brilliant, and can do any spell in any of our text books, not to mention all of the potions and other problems. He knows everything we could want to know about magic. So, OK, he might not be the best looking guy at school, and he has a relationship with the Dark Arts that's a bit disturbing at times. On the other side he does have that nice voice, and those hands of his are so careful and graceful. Plus he has such a delicate spirit if you take the time to really know him. Perhaps he loves her a little too much, but if she were to be nice to him, maybe that would work out to something more appropriate..._

xxxxx

_My dear wife,_

_I continue this letter to you by observing how loyal a friend you have always been to me since we were young. Knowing you as I do now, I'm amazed that it escaped my understanding that you were very much in love with me. Reading your memories reminds me of our experiences and places me back into that time and location. I can recall knowing how improper my feelings for Lily were and wondering how to fix it. You were there all along, showing me how to love without such demands. I wish I had learned to appreciate it when we were that young._

_We expect to move to a new location, soon, so I will use one of the owls belonging to this house to send my letter to you. I miss your lips and your hands and the way your arms surround me with your love. I dream of the night when we can be together again. I picture you at the hospital, your hair falling out of its pins and your top buttons undone, biting your lip as you work to give ease to some poor soul. I picture you playing with our children, the light of love in your eyes as you laugh with them. I picture myself unfastening the rest of your buttons and unpinning your hair as I watch the professional Healer become my wife. I ache for you, Emily. Somehow, we will be back together soon._

_Your loving husband,  
__Severus_

A/N: Life is not exactly pleasant yet, but a bit more bearable.

Thank you so much for the reviews, angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. A very special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy.


	71. Dinner with Death Eaters

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

Emily arrived home from a long shift and sat down on the sitting room couch to unwind for a few minutes. She took out the letter she had received the morning before from an unknown but well fed owl and re-read it for the fifth or sixth time, committing the phrases and the look of his handwriting to her memory. Suddenly a blond-haired head appeared in the fireplace. Emily cursed in the back of her mind. If she had never seen Narcissa Malfoy again, she would have counted her life well-lived.

"I suppose you want me for something?" said Emily without preamble.

"You need to come to another dinner party tonight. Your husband arrived yesterday evening and they have been meeting ever since, planning something. In about a week they are going to make a major attack and everything may be over after that. I will meet you at the same dressmaker's door in ten minutes."

"Hold on a minute. I've been working all night and any plan you have needs to include several hours in a bed, preferably with my husband."

"You would bargain when your husband's life is already at stake?" Even looking through green flames, Narcissa looked perfectly made up, down to the elegantly raised eyebrow.

Utterly defeated, Emily whispered, "No."

"I'll see you in ten minutes."

Once again Emily stood in her underwear in the shop as Narcissa looked and chose. "You really have an amazing figure," said the blond. "All we need to do this time is demonstrate that it's as beautiful as ever and that's not going to be difficult at all."

"_Why_ have you participated in this pandering?" asked Emily.

Narcissa shrugged. "Before, it was about obtaining power for my son and ensuring the power of my husband. Now it's just a matter of keeping us all alive. You will do what he wants you to do, Emily, if I have to kill your husband and children myself to ensure it."

The woman looked a little mad, Emily thought. There were other worries as well. "Is he really capable of... you know?"

"If he's still looking for an heir, he will surely know how to bring it about. I'm really not so worried about the mechanics of it, myself. That's your problem."

Narcissa settled this time upon a midnight blue strapless gown that was cut so low that it allowed a generous view of cleavage. The bodice held itself up by use of a stiff underlining. Emily would be forced to hold her back completely straight the entire evening.

This time she was brought to the library before dinner.

"Ah, Mrs. Snape! You are as lovely as ever! Narcissa has dressed you magnificently yet again." Emily was grateful for the elbow-length gloves that matched the dress when the person speaking to her lifted her hand to kiss it. She forced herself to look at her companion as he spoke to her and breathed deeply to control her emotions.

"Good evening, Lord."

"I was so sorry that we missed our tryst after the Potters died, but I was not myself. You wouldn't play along with poor Quirrell, either. I suspect you would have been more than he was capable of dealing with; perhaps that was just as well. Didn't you know it was me?"

"I've never had quite the same reaction to anyone else."

He chuckled and her skin crawled. "How very gratifying! I think we shall have a quite felicitous union. I'm sure it will be fruitful, as well."

"I've been unable to conceive for the past two years."

"So you are not pregnant at this time. That is fortunate. You are soon going to enter into a period of great fecundity, Emily. You will give me an heir and then you and my faithful servant will give me more faithful servants to rule the Wizarding world with me. You owe me Death Eaters."

"Now, Lord?" Emily was struggling to breathe deeply enough to hold herself together without being obvious or causing her dress to burst.

He walked around her as he had done on their previous meeting. He traced a long white fingertip along her skin just above the edge of her dress as he walked. She had the same sense of arousal and self-hatred that had come upon her at their first meeting. He stopped in front of her, his finger deep within her cleavage, and looked into her eyes.

"Ah, my Ravenclaw eagle, your talons are out tonight but you will soon be a dove, cooing for me. You see a monster before you." He waved his other hand in front of his face and Emily saw a handsome young man with red eyes. "However, I am still a man and after Harry Potter has been killed, I can perform the last spell that will enable me to become more like my former self. It won't be very long, Emily. Just until the end of the week. We will take him and kill him and then you and I will have our time together."

The dinner gong sounded and the Dark Lord's usual appearance returned. He brought her into the dining room, leaving her several seats down from his own. From there Emily could feel the red eyes looking her over several times during the meal. As before, Bellatrix Lestrange glared at Emily. Others sitting at the table glanced at her curiously. Severus never took his eyes off of her except when directly addressed by his neighbors. Emily warmed under his gaze and smiled back.

After dinner, the guest of honor came and whispered into her ear. "Just a few more days and we will consummate our partnership, Emily. If by chance I should be unable to come to you, I will send your husband back and you can work on your other debts to me. I intend to collect in every way possible, with interest." He raised his voice. "Severus, come see your wife off and then join me in the library for a nightcap."

Severus held Emily's cloak and fastened her into it. He kissed her ardently and then whispered, "You look wonderful but he means to keep us separate until this next plan is completed."

Emily whispered back, "On that day he means for me to—Severus, suddenly I'm not sure if I can."

His hands were on either side of her face. "I should kill you myself rather than let him touch you again. But I can't, Emily, too much lies at stake. So much depends on us all playing our part. Will you be all right tonight?"

"Yes. I understand it so much better than the other time. And if you can do what you were forced to do, I can do my part as well. I will be fine except that I will be away from you. I love you."

"I love you, too, Emily. We both must go." He kissed her again and saw her out the door.

hr

Severus had the nightcap that would keep him away from his wife and listened to the Dark Lord's plans. He understood that they would be kept apart until it was clear whether this next attack would yield the results his master wanted. He didn't need to follow the train of conversation too closely, but it would not do to dwell upon thoughts of his wife, either. Letting the Dark Lord see his resentment would not be a good thing to do.

After a rather long and completely one-sided conversation, Severus was dismissed to his bedroom. He allowed himself to dwell upon the appearance of his wife and the way the satin had clung to her body. He wondered if she had thought of him as she had taken it off that night and whether she was thinking of him now. Perhaps she was writing in her current diary about this evening. He turned to the one she had given him and opened to the next entry, groaning as he did so to find that he had arrived at a date that was firmly fixed in his memory.

_21 July, 1979_

._..I think I literally heard his heart break when I told him Lily would be married in the morning. I held his wand hand for dear life and watched as he very carefully composed himself. He told me there was something he had to do and that's when I took out my wand and told him that I would put him under the Imperius Curse if he tried to leave my side._

_He acted so lost and helpless that I held out my arms to him. I finally convinced him to let me hold him and I think it made him feel better. It was as though he were made to fit in my arms, the way he just clung to me and I could reach right around to stroke his hair and rub his back. He looked up at me suspiciously after a while and asked if I were trying to seduce him. I told him it was up to him and that's when he kissed me. Oh, his kisses! I have no idea where I was or what I was doing there, other than having his lips pressed to mine..._

_...It never occurred to me that it could be like it was. My medical books describe coitus in great detail but only from a clinical standpoint. They describe the problems that can occur instead of what happens when things go so very perfectly. I didn't know, when we started, what exactly I wanted. I just knew I wanted him. _

_His hands as they undressed me were everything I had thought they would be and more. He caressed me and then his lips followed..._

_...I looked into his face, then, and saw the young man who had always been my champion, confidante, tutor, and best friend. He would never hurt me. I smiled and he smiled, as ever a bit shyly, back._

_...His name slipped from my lips as I sighed with desire. He groaned and I looked into his eyes again. He wanted __me__. Whoever he may or may not love, __I__ was his deepest desire at that moment. His greatest fear was of hurting me, so he wanted me to decide whether to continue. Arrangements and boyfriends and virtue swirled around my head. Nothing compared to the fact that I wanted this with him right there and then. I nodded my head... _

_...I didn't know what to make of his actions. He seems as inexperienced as I, and we've never discussed his ever having been with a woman in this way. I can't swear he would have told me, but I don't think he would have hidden it very well. I am sure, from what he said in the park, that he's never kissed anyone before. At the same time there was no fumbling between us like you hear about. It's as if something within us always knew how to make love to each other..._

_...suddenly my world dissolved into the most intense pleasure I had ever felt. I was moaning and sighing with the surprise and joy of it as he clutched me to himself, kissing my face and murmuring his own delight..._

._..He held me close and let me touch him. I ran my fingers through his hair and touched the face that in the past hour had become so beautiful to me. I don't know exactly when, but I fell asleep in the arms of my lover._

What followed was a very complete and explicit description of the way they had spent the next day. He smiled as her commentary varied between a clinical view and girlish romance. The way she had written about him was as dear to him as the words themselves.

._..we sat down to a very late lunch. We chatted about things and smiled at each other as we watched the afternoon disappear on the clock. _

_He made love to me one last time, in a way reminiscent of the first, caressing me tenderly. He brought me to the edge of ecstasy and then tipped me over it with him, holding me sweetly and protectively until we were both finished. Looking into his eyes, seeing the tenderness and affection he had for me, knowing how carefully and gently he had treated me since we first disrobed together the night before, I realized that I love him._

_I think my tears frightened him. He begged me to tell him what was wrong and how he could fix it, but I could only shake my head and cry more. He's the voice of reason in my head. He's the person who made my most difficult classes make sense. He's the champion who protected me from his own House. Now he's the lover who makes my body respond. There will never be anyone else for me. It's clear that he doesn't want to continue this level of our relationship after this moment. I will never know this with him again, so I won't know it at all. This was my brief sojourn into womanhood and all too soon, this is also farewell..._

He could not take any more and set the book down. Her words had reminded him of a day he would never forget. Unfortunately the thought of days, possibly months of separation from her lay between them. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping to ease his desire. In this house, he could request just about anything he wanted for that purpose and it would be brought to him. The one thing he wanted was denied to him, however. He took out a pen and parchment.

_My Sweet Emily,_

_I had forgotten that I ever called you that, and tonight I read about the day I did and how you clung to that appellation because it was the dearest thing I had ever called you. I dropped it because you so quickly became my dear one and later, my love. It does not make you any less sweet to me._

_I have arrived at the point in your diary where we first shared passion. I must say that no one looking at the professional Healer Snape would ever guess at the way you have cataloged our intimacies. Few who had known the demure Miss Smith would have guessed you were capable of such intimacies._

_You have brought back so many memories of that night and the day following. I should start with the night in our seventh year when you made the bold_ _suggestion that ultimately resulted in our daughter. From that time on, whenever I imagined holding a woman in my arms, she was always you. I still loved Lily desperately at that time, but she was somehow separate from what the Emily in my dreams and I shared. My feelings for Lily were too pure for such earthy passions. I should have realized, then, that I had fixed my affections in the wrong place._

_You remarked that it was as if we had always known how to make love to each other. Perhaps it was. I had made love to you in my dreams at least a hundred times. By the time we had ceased to be students I already knew exactly how I wanted to touch you if the moment ever arrived. I suspect that the demure Miss Emily Smith must have cherished similar dreams, since she was quite an able partner? Perhaps the magic we unwittingly invoked eased us over the lack of experience, as well._

_I had thought, when I first entered your bedroom, to share the moment you offered and then leave. Having done that, I found that I wanted to stay within your arms for a time. Then I wanted to re-experience our passion and decided that staying the day would not be amiss. By the time I left, the next evening, I was completely involved and the only way to extract myself was to simply leave. I had thought to go back to my usual existence and forget what we had shared. You know how I failed at that._

_I cannot get enough of you, Sweet Emily. If only I could have taken you home tonight, I would have brought you to our bedroom and explored you in that gown. Then I would have removed the gown and explored you again. Perhaps your lips would have teased me about my high collar and tie as your fingers teased them open. Would we have come together explosively or slowly? Perhaps over the course of the night we would have done both._

_It's uncertain whether we will be together soon or whether it will be some time. Clearly, if all goes as planned on this end, we will be apart for a longer while. We will be back together again sometime and I will wait for it impatiently. I am back to holding you in my dreams, Emily. If it's any comfort or reassurance, know that it's always been you._

_Your husband,_

_Severus_

Emily received the letter two days later. They were gone from Malfoy Manor, then. It was not the sort of missive one should read before going to work, but there was no helping that. She went back up to her bedroom and opened a closet door. The blue satin dress had been wadded up and thrown in the back of it the other night. If Severus had liked it, however, it was more precious than that. She laid it out on her bed and summoned a house-elf, asking that it be cleaned and properly stored for a future event.

A/N: Thank you reviewers angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thank you, especially, to beta reader Mark Darcy


	72. A Vacation

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

Several nights after the Malfoys' dinner party, Emily was wakened by Magical Law Enforcement. Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks were at her door, demanding to come in and search the house yet again.

"I should just give you people a key," said Emily. "Try not to track so much mud on my grandmother's hardwood floors this time?" She went yawning into her sitting room to await the inevitable questioning and hopefully to gain some information as well.

"Death Eaters killed Alastor Moody tonight," said Auror Tonks. "We take that very seriously. Meanwhile, your husband cursed George Weasley's ear off."

Emily looked up in horror. "Is he going to be all right?"

"They stopped the bleeding, but he will never look the same."

"Oh, that poor boy," said Emily, thinking of both George and her husband.

"We have to ask, Mrs. Snape. Do you know where your husband is?"

"I have no idea where he is tonight," said Emily truthfully.

"When did you last see him?"

"Last week."

"Where was this?"

"Malfoy Manor."

"We've had it surrounded for over a month. No one has been there, even you."

"Then I don't know where I really was," said Emily, unable to hide her confusion. "They took me to a place I knew as Malfoy Manor."

"Has your husband been here?"

"Auror Moody put protective spells on this house. They prevented any Death Eaters from entering and I wouldn't begin to know how to tamper with them. You can check them if you like."

Kingsley gave Emily an odd look. "We will."

The squad who had been searching the house came to the sitting room. "Nothing?" asked Shacklebolt. They shook their heads. Several minutes later Emily was ushering them out of the house. She kissed her daughter goodnight again, and then turned off lights and straightened up a little bit as she made her way back to her bedroom, where she found her husband waiting for her. An instant later they were clasped together.

"I watched from across the street and Apparated directly up here after I watched them leave. How are you handling all of this?"

"I can handle anything when I'm in your arms. Why you and not him tonight?"

"Potter's wand cast a spell of its own. He can't have known that spell, it's one of the Dark Lord's specialties. Anyhow, the master's wand, or rather Malfoy's, was shattered. The Dark Lord is worried about Potter's wand now and wants to find one that can beat it. He had thought any other person's wand would work, but it becomes clear that deeper magic is in effect."

"I severed George Weasley's ear. It was a mistake, but it proved my continuing loyalty, and I was sent to my wife. I was told to remind you that you owe the Dark Lord and I'm supposed to stay with you until I'm summoned. Can we go someplace safer than this?"

"I was told that George will be fine, although his ear will not grow back."

"That's good news. I was aiming for someone who was about to kill Lupin."

"You were trying to save a Marauder?" She smiled up at him.

"Don't tease me, Emily. Is there some place we can go?"

"As it happens, I have the perfect spot." She smiled again as she clasped him to herself firmly and turned.

Severus found himself in the sitting room of the apartment Emily had lived in almost since school had ended, the same apartment in which they started married life.

"How is this possible?"

"I never sold it when we moved to Hogwarts, I just leased it and the renters moved out the day after—the same day we were last together. I moved a house-elf here and he's kept the linens fresh and the pantry stocked. You have several changes of clothes and I have robes for work here. I put all the protections I know over it. Can you make it Unplottable?"

Severus looked around the room in a daze. "The Dark Lord plans to take over the Ministry within the next week or two. There should be a day when I can perform those spells here, and perhaps at Spinner's End, too. Too many people know about your mother's house. We should leave that one out in the open. Emily, this is fantastic." He tugged her toward the bedroom. "It's so oddly familiar."

They knelt on the bed facing each other and just looked at each other for several minutes. Severus reached for his wife and kissed her gently, nudging her lips open and exploring her mouth for several moments. Soon they realized they were completely undressed and they shifted position, caressing and kissing each other as their bodies moved closer and closer together.

Emily woke as the sky lightened. Her husband had her clasped firmly within his arms and she smiled at him. They were living in a nightmare, but waking up like this gave them moments of sanity. She slipped out of the bed and left him a breakfast on the table. She conferred with the house-elf for a few minutes and Apparated back to her mother's house.

Hope was in the kitchen, reading the_ Daily Prophet_ and eating some cereal. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"I've been at the other place. We have a guest there."

The teenager jumped out of her chair. "Can I go?"

"Maybe later today. He's exhausted right now. I'm going to head back over, but I wanted you to know where I am. I need to let the hospital know I won't be in for a few days. I think I'm finally worried sick from the strain of having my house searched so many times. It will probably be a week before I can stand to be around people again." Emily looked elated and excited at that moment, but not the least bit worried or sick.

"I was hoping to go to Diagon Alley."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. When you return to Hogwarts, we can get what you need in Hogsmeade. It should be safer there."

"Mama?"

"Yes dear?" Emily touched her daughter's hair at the use of the childish endearment.

"Is this ever going to stop getting worse?"

"I do believe that it will. It may take a while." She kissed the top of her daughter's head and left the kitchen to make the arrangements that needed to be made.

After a very few minutes, Emily Apparated back to the apartment where she found her husband wandering from room to room as if he were looking for something.

"Did you lose something?"

He brightened at the sight of her. "No, I have everything I need right here, now."

"Did you eat your breakfast?"

"I was waiting for you."

"Well then, we should get started."

She watched him as they ate breakfast and chatted. As she watched, some color returned to his face. He could even smile a little bit as he looked at her. His days spent constantly with Voldemort receded from him, and he was happy to have this respite here in their first home together. Emily gathered the dishes and went to wash them. Severus came to help her, and after she washed her hands one last time and wiped them dry, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom.

Severus woke again to discover that someone was enjoying a bubble bath in the adjoining bathroom.

"Are we reliving our first experiences as lovers?" He didn't bother to cover himself before walking from one room to the other. Emily recalled how she had blushed under Severus's scrutiny the first time he had insisted that he wanted to wash every inch of her body, and how she had blushed at her first full sight of him undressed. She recalled how quickly she had lost that shyness because after all, it was Severus.

"Reliving old memories, making new ones, either or both. I just want to thoroughly enjoy your presence while I have it." Emily glanced into his eyes, but her attention was caught elsewhere. Severus might not have noticed where Emily's eyes kept straying. He was entranced by the glimpses of wet skin that he saw under the bubbles. It wasn't long before he had climbed in to the tub with her and pulled her onto his lap.

The next time Severus awoke, he discovered that his wife and daughter were playing chess in the sitting room. He could hear Brendon zooming around the flat with a toy broom. He smiled at the sense of home he felt, in spite of the fact that a war was going on over their heads and in spite of the fact that he was a wanted man. He put on his dressing gown, and stood in the doorway admiring the women in his life.

His daughter, with her striking blue eyes and overlarge nose under curly black hair somehow achieved an unconventional beauty, that required a second and even third look. Even so, it was clear that she was her mother's daughter. He looked at his wife, whose beauty had grown in his eyes since the day he married her. He had long since decided that she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, but it seemed that at her age, she had grown into a beauty of which her younger face had only given hints.

"Ah-ha! He's awake!" said Emily, jumping up to give Severus a hug and a kiss.

Hope jumped up, too, and hugged her father. "I'm so glad to see you, Daddy. How are you?"

"I am quite happy to be with all of you. I'm starting to feel rested, too."

"Are you hungry?" asked Emily. "We were thinking of getting pizza from that Italian bistro. You know, the one—"

"I do indeed know the one," responded her husband with a look in his eyes that kindled a similar one in her own eyes. He leaned down to kiss her.

"Ew! You can take that somewhere else!" said Hope. "I'll go order it and bring it back. Do you two think you can get yourselves under control by the time I get home with it?"

"For you, anything," said the father, placing a smacking kiss on his daughter's head.

Hope put on a lightweight cloak, pulling the hood up so that her face was in shadow, and looked out the windows to check for bystanders before going out the door.

"It seems a shame that she's had to learn safety procedures just to be in our family," said Emily.

"Every Wizarding family needs those procedures whether they realize it or not. She's better off to be so well trained and prepared."

"Perhaps," said Emily, a worried look still on her face.

Severus put his hand through the sash of Emily's bath robe. "How long do you think we have?"

She moved toward the bedroom door. "Long enough."

After another day Severus was finally rested enough to spend time with his family. The two parents decided that in the time they had, they should train their daughter in more advanced defense than she had been taught at school. Severus worked with her on some spells used in dueling and on some potions, while Emily showed her some healing charms and the special Side-along Apparition that Healers used to bring injured people to the hospital. It wasn't sure whether Severus would be on staff at Hogwarts in the coming school year, and they wanted their daughter prepared to meet different exigencies. The two parents were delighted to find that their daughter appeared to grasp these lessons quickly and well. It offered some relief to the worries of both.

As they worked, they all watched the antics of young Brendon, trying the same spells with a toy wand. The results were mixed, as the wand was not made to focus magic, but the wandless magic of childhood was as strong in the boy as it had been in his older sister. The father ducked, and thought to himself that his son would be very interesting to the Dark Lord. He must find a way to help Potter end this soon.

They also took advantage of their time to compare notes on their experiences of the past month. Severus explained the horrors of hiding with the Dark Lord, and Emily described getting searched by Magical Law Enforcement several times. They described their loneliness without each other and whispered promises of the life they still hoped they would someday have.

Finally one morning, the Mark on Severus's arm started to burn, signaling that their time together was over. The father of the Snape family kissed his son and daughter goodbye, before embracing his wife and kissing her tenderly. "We may be able to live together openly after this," he said, leaving unsaid the other half of the sentence: "If I'm not killed." She understood both halves of the sentence and tried not to cling to him too tightly. As he Disapparated, Emily watched his smile grow grim. She knew well the facial expression he used with the entire world except her. Perhaps soon he would not need it.

_A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing. Thanks to angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and williammoseleysgirl. A very special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	73. Eighteen Years

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

Severus came to Margo's house the night after he had left his family at Emily's flat. "There was another raid at the Ministry. The Death Eaters have triumphed. Scrimgeour was killed and Pius Thicknesse is the new Minister. We're in the open, Emily. I can make love to you in the atrium of the Ministry of Magic if I like and no one will say or do anything. I'm to be named Headmaster and no one is supposed to do or say anything against me or my family." He buried his head into her robes. "Oh, I've missed you."

Her smile was tight. "I would guess that's what they are officially calling an 'altercation'. I've just been called into the hospital. I need to help with the people injured this evening. Can you wait for me to come back?"

"I need to be at Hogwarts by tomorrow."

"I'm scheduled for two weeks of late night shifts."

They looked at each other. He kissed her nose. "It's not as though we haven't been making love at every opportunity over the past several days."

She smiled up at him. "That's very true. Let's plan for our Anniversary, then. Eighteen years, Severus."

* * *

Emily told the Floo to take her to the Snapes' quarters at Hogwarts and was more surprised than she should have been to arrive in the Headmaster's office. A house-elf was standing nearby. The Headmaster had been called to handle a difficulty created by the arrival of the new professors, but would be back soon. Would mistress please come and approve the dinner arrangements?

Mistress looked at the elegant table and dinnerware and approved. Emily complimented the elf so warmly that the pointed ears turned red. She was shown to the bedroom, where her clothes had already been put into a wardrobe, and then into the bathroom. Smiling in gratitude, she dismissed the house-elf and went to work on her toilette. This would be much harder without the help she had received at Malfoy Manor.

When Severus arrived, he beheld his wife wearing the same blue satin she had worn at the dinner party over the summer. Her hair was softer, and she was wearing the delicate necklace he had given her the Christmas after the Dark Lord's initial fall. He walked up to her and moved the pendant to center it better.

"You take my breath away."

She wasn't breathing very well just then, either. "I had to do justice to your arrangements."

"Those Carrows are going to be a disaster. Between the other staff hating me and those two with their deadly antics..." He trailed off and looked at his wife again. "Let me get cleaned up and we'll do this properly."

"I'll be right here."

He allowed himself a gentle kiss. She smelled much better than the hallway he had recently left.

In less time than she would have thought possible, Severus was standing before Emily again, wearing dress robes and smiling. He guided her to the table and sat her in her chair before sitting down himself. Emily would never quite remember what they ate except she knew it was delicious. She forgot the exact conversation as well, although she knew they had exchanged the stories of what they had done in the last two weeks. She remembered his eyes, that devoured her as though he'd never seen her before and would never see her again. She remembered looking at him in the same way.

Dinner finished and the candles were low. Severus looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Emily, I haven't been back up to the tower since that night. I haven't used the bedroom, either. I don't feel like I can sleep there until I've faced it, but I need you. Could we take a walk up there, tonight?"

Emily nodded. A wrap of soft black wool was brought to her and they took a short walk from the Headmaster's office to the stairway of the Astronomy Tower. As they went up the stairs they passed a classroom where Professors Sinistra and McGonagall were speaking in hushed tones. They stopped speaking to glare at the couple as they passed. Emily's last discussion with Minerva, concerning Hope's finals, had ended in a manner far from cordial. Emily bristled, but Severus squeezed her elbow and they went on, allowing the two women to go back to their conversation.

Severus stopped at the doorway at the top. "This is where I saw it all. He was standing over there and leaning, and Malfoy was there." He pointed to the spots where he could still see each combatant. "Bellatrix, Gibbon, Greyback, Alecto, Amycus...Potter must have been over there..."

His eyes watered as he took a few steps out. "I was here. At first I could only see him. He was in such pain. The curse from the ring had broken through our potions and spells. All those people were here, so beneath him in every way, laughing and jeering, telling Draco to get a move on. If I had not seen Greyback, I would have turned and left. He had such a horror of Greyback.

"Dumbledore stood there, his very self failing, and discussed the situation as if it were the weather and they were at tea. Then he called to me. My own strength failed me, but he had one last bit of magic left. Somehow he made me do it. My wand hand moved into position almost on its own and when the spell left my lips, it was not entirely my doing."

Emily didn't speak as he told her about it. She kept her hand on his arm, willing warmth and comfort to her husband, who couldn't publicly grieve a loss he felt as surely as anyone else in the castle that night. He crossed to where the Headmaster had been standing and sank to his knees. "I don't know if I can do this, Emily. How can I accept what I have done and then take his place?"

She came and knelt next to him, not sure how to touch him or what to say. His hands were pressed against the battlement and his head was hanging between his arms. He let out a loud sob and his grief flowed for a few minutes. Emily's eyes became wet as she simply knelt there, offering what comfort her presence gave him.

As his pain eased, a new sensation took hold of him. The stone beneath his hands warmed gently and he felt a comfort flow into him from the castle itself. The magic of Hogwarts mingled with his own and he felt himself accepted as the Headmaster. Somehow he had made peace with the school.

Severus stood and lifted Emily up to her feet. He turned and looked over Hogwarts, at the school, at the forest, and at the way the stars shone on the surface of the lake. He turned again and looked at his wife. "Somehow I feel as though the school accepts me. It will be uncomfortable and difficult, but somehow we will make this work, and somehow we will triumph." He put his hand at the small of her back and guided her to the door and down the stairs.

At the stone gargoyle, Severus taught Emily the password that would always work for her and they went up the moving stairs. They passed through the office and into the bedroom, where candles had been lit and the sheets had been turned down. Already this room felt more welcoming than it had since Severus had come back to Hogwarts. It looked quite different from his previous glances as he walked through.

The difference was Emily. Severus looked at his wife. She was standing in her gown, looking magnificent and her eyes were full of gentle promises. Finally he took her into his arms. He kissed her where they stood and they recalled the feel of each other. He kissed her again and the weeks of separation were as nothing as the passion between them was kindled. The bed beckoned.

Clothing was a minor distraction. Buttons, zippers and other fastenings were useless against the questing fingers working them. True to his word, Severus studied and explored Emily in her gown. As expected, Emily smiled over Severus's high collar and many buttons. Skin was revealed and kissed as if it had never been seen before. They came together as though they had never been together before, but at the same time with the ease of the years that they had known such bliss with each other.

* * *

Emily woke to pre-daylight and stretched luxuriously. Severus was sprawled on the bed, still sleeping soundly. His hair spread out over his pillow and she ran her fingers through it, enjoying the feel of his nearness. She was careful not to wake him, although he had certainly waked her as she slept through the night. They had used the time to its fullest, she thought to herself. She got up and took care of certain necessities and then returned.

"What time is it?" He was awake, waiting for her.

"I'm not sure, dawn any minute."

"I should go check to make sure those Carrows haven't destroyed something overnight. Will you stay?"

Emily nodded. "We need to get the children this afternoon before Mum has a shift at the hospital, but until then I am completely at your command."

Severus held her close and kissed her ear. "I like the sound of that. I think there are still one or two things we didn't do last night."

Emily smiled mischievously at him. "Well, then, we have to finish what we started."

He smirked back as he got out of the bed and quickly dressed. He kissed her nose and said. "I will see you in a little while.

He stopped in the Headmaster's office and cleared his throat. Several portraits opened their eyes and looked at him expectantly.

"I know it's your doing. You're all connected to the soul of the school somehow. Why me?"

Armando Dippet looked down and said, "Really, it's self evident."

"I don't understand."

Several portraits looked to Phineas Nigellus Black, who looked annoyed and cleared his throat. "You were the obvious choice, Severus. The current political climate demands a Slytherin, and we demand someone who at least knows and understands the school. We also prefer someone who is loyal to Dumbledore and therefore the school's ongoing best interests."

"So you're all behind me?"

The portraits indicated their assent.

Severus's hand was on the desk, the white of his knuckles the only indication of the emotion he felt. "Thank you," he said.

"Oh, Severus," said Headmaster Black.

"Yes?"

"In dealing with the two new teachers, you might find it best to deal with them as their master regularly does. They are conditioned to respect an occasional show of force."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Headmaster Snape didn't swirl his robes as he usually did when walking through the school, but his stance was taller and more self-assured than it had been in weeks.

_A/N: Thank you kind reviewers: debjunk, excessivelyperky, and Istani! Everyone is keeping me on my toes. A very special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	74. Dolores's Adventure

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

Quite a few Ministry workers were admitted to St. Mungos the afternoon after students returned to Hogwarts. The officials were trying to hush things up, but the gossip said that Undesirable Number One had managed to infiltrate the Ministry of Magic. He had been in Dolores Umbridge's office, but no one knew exactly why. Healer Snape stifled a yawn as she moved into the next curtained area and prepared to smile at her new patient.

"Keep her away from me! I don't trust her!" Emily found herself face to face with the chair of the Muggle-born Registration Commission.

"Why Dolores, what a thing to say!" Emily replied.

"I still don't know what you did, but you tricked me and, and—"

"I believe I offered you tea and biscuits one afternoon, Dolores. As I recall, there was no law or Educational Decree against it. And when you weren't feeling yourself after being in the forest—"

"Never talk about that!"

"All right then. We'll just talk about what happened today. Have you been injured?"

In spite of herself, Dolores Umbridge started feeling more comfortable and calm. "I had trouble breathing, and my heart was racing. Their hands were around my neck, you know."

"Whose hands?"

Dolores pulled Emily close and said in a stage whisper, "_Harry Potter_."

"Really?" Emily gently passed her wand over her patient's throat and said her diagnostic spells, then for completeness sake, examined the rest of her as well.

Dolores continued to whisper. "He was fumbling at my collar, too. I think he wanted to _attack_ me, if you know what I mean."

Emily barely managed to turn her giggle into a sympathetic gasp. "What is the younger generation coming to?"

"Exactly. He's a mongrel, you know. His mother was a Muggle."

"I had heard that."

"You can never tell what terrible things that sort might get up to."

Thinking of a Half-blood who was dear to her own heart, Emily responded, "You never know, what is truly good may surface eventually."

"One can only hope, but clearly we should have been keeping a closer watch." Madam Umbridge was starting to recover from her malaise.

Emily said a charm over the injury on Dolores's forehead and over her neck and then made some notes on the patient's chart. "You don't appear to have serious injuries. There are some very light bruises on your neck which will clear up within the next day. You have, however, experienced an attack of sorts, brought on by the stress of your work and the shock you received this morning. I have a potion I want you to take. I also prescribe that you confine yourself to shorter work days—"

"That's impossible. There are so many Muggles and Half-bloods that need to be dealt with!"

"I'm sorry, but I really must insist on this point. If you cannot commit to this, I will have to admit you to the hospital. It might not be a bad idea. I wouldn't mind stopping by to share some tea with you whenever I can..." Emily let her sentence hang there and watched it work in the mind of her patient.

"No, I need to get back to work. If it must be for shorter days, we will simply have to deal with it."

"Very good, I'll draw up your orders and speak with the young man waiting for you in the hallway."

"Ah, Percy Weasley," sighed Dolores. "He's such a respectful, responsible young man, not like so many others. Pure blood tells."

Emily was half way through the curtain and pretended she hadn't heard. She saw the tall, red-haired young man and walked up to him. "Are you here with Dolores Umbridge? I'm Healer Snape."

When she identified herself, Percy's head snapped up. "I'm afraid it would not do to discuss Madam Umbridge in an open hallway. She's too critical to the Ministry. Is there some place private?"

Emily led the young man to the office she shared with her mother and they sat down. "She's had a panic attack. I'm prescribing a mild Calming Draught for her, and she needs to keep her hours at the Ministry to a minimum. Her experience in the Forbidden Forest has damaged her emotional state. If she has another shock, there could be a complete breakdown."

"I understand and I will discuss it with the Minister."

"Very well, then." Emily wrote the instructions on the discharge forms.

"Healer Snape?"

"Is there something else?"

"It's personal, really."

Emily looked up and smiled kindly.

"I helped clear up Kingsley Shacklebolt's office. He's on the run, hiding from the Ministry now, you may have heard."

"There have been rumors."

"He left behind a notepad. I don't think he meant to leave that one behind. It described a conversation with you at your home. You told him and Auror Tonks that your house could not be entered by Death Eaters."

"I did. I told the same thing to Auror Moody, who set those spells, and Minister Scrimgeour."

"I looked into it and saw that you did. You never once said that your husband had not been to the house. Mrs. Snape, _is_ your husband a Death Eater?"

Emily gave the young man an even stare. "Mr. Weasley, I have no idea how to properly answer your question. There seems to be a consensus that Severus Snape must be working pretty closely with the Dark Lord these days."

"I see." A difficult look passed over Percy's face and he got to the question he had wanted to ask since requesting a more private interview. "I think I may need to make a change in my life, but I don't know how to extract myself. It's all gotten so complicated."

Emily softened a little but just a little. There was too much possibility that she was being set up to betray one of her own family secrets. "Percy," she said, "I have heard that members of your family are quite proficient at Wizarding Chess. Are you one of them?" He shrugged. "I would guess that even if you are not one of the best at home, you're above average. I suggest that you make your decisions and choices as if you were on a chess board. Choose your outcome and then move your pieces accordingly."

Percy looked at Emily for a moment and then nodded his head. They left her office and went back to the curtained area where Dolores Umbridge was feeling better and making demands of the staff in direct proportion to her improved condition. Emily signed the discharge paperwork and made her way to the hospital fireplaces. It was time to be done for the day and she was ready. She was exhausted beyond endurance and her back ached.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I know there's no mileage in writing to you but it doesn't seem like studying without it. There's so much to talk over, too, and no one to talk with. First off, you would think the Headmaster has ultimate control of what goes on around here. He doesn't. He's had quite a few things forced on him that he would rather not do. _

_Plus, it's hard having all the staff he's worked with for years suddenly treat him as if he were a criminal. I suppose in the view of many, he is a criminal, but I wonder what these people will think when everything is out in the open. It's a rough thing, with the hostility of most of the old staff toward him and the new staff members so difficult to control._

_I didn't see you at the hospital this summer. I know you went, because the staff told me you had been there. I asked them not to tell you about my visits to your parents. I know you probably wouldn't approve, but I love your mother so much and I admit that I miss seeing you. It was a way to keep the connection._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

It was stupid, more like a diary, actually, but it made her feel more normal and now she could actually do her homework. She stashed the letter in her trunk where it wouldn't be found and pulled out her Charms book and the book Daddy used for teaching seventh year Defense last year. What the Carrows didn't know about her secret extra subject wouldn't hurt anyone.

_A/N: For the record, Harry never touched Umbridge. Hermione switched the Slytherin locket for one she conjured while Harry worked to free the prisoners. Umbridge was unconscious at the time and I think she made assumptions. Since she wasn't aware that the locket had been switched, it was, to her, the most likely reason for the attack._

_Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed!_


	75. Light and Dark

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the story line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

"There's the lady of the house! What has kept you all night?" Severus was waiting impatiently for his wife one night as she emerged from the fireplace.

"You wouldn't believe. Having You-Know-Who in charge of everything is unfortunately good for business at St. Mungo's. I'm bone tired, can we just get to bed?"

"You read my mind. Indeed, I'm ahead of you."

Emily looked at her husband, who seemed particularly comfy in his dressing gown. "Did Brendon go down all right?"

"He was all that we demand at Hogwarts. He ate his dinner, played for a while, took his bath and went to bed just as Mama always tells him."

Emily smiled, and Severus saw how weary she was. "Should I call for a tray?"

"No, don't trouble them. I'm not hungry in the least. Let me get comfy and then we can chat about our day. You'll find some parts rather interesting, I think."

Minutes later, Severus was watching Emily brush her teeth, standing in front of the sink in a chemise that went almost to her knees. The silk of the fabric caught her shape in a way he found quite intriguing. As she was putting her toothbrush away he was unable to resist her ripe form, so he came behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and nuzzling the back of her neck.

"Severus!"

"I can't help myself." As if on their own, one hand moved up from her middle while the other moved down. Emily grabbed at the counter top as his intensity overcame her. She tried to turn in his arms, but he held her in place and whispered softly in her ear as he caressed her through the silk. She turned her face toward his lips but even there he kept her from succeeding.

Her moans became intense and finally he took pity on her. He allowed her to turn in his arms as her chemise and his dressing gown fell underfoot. Their kisses became insistent and before they knew it they were lying together in their bed, all thought of weariness set aside for the moment.

Afterwards, Emily lay on her back as Severus looked at her in the light of the candles they had never extinguished. "Emily," he started, not sure whether to frown or smile, "something is different."

"Hmm," she answered. "I told you there was something interesting about my day."

"Emily?" His hand slid across her middle.

"Yes, Severus, yes."

"Are you telling me that my seed has taken root?"

She smiled gently. "Yes."

"When?"

"It was either our anniversary or later that week. The child will be born in mid May."

"A baby."

Her smile became a laugh. "Yes."

"My dear girl." He hugged her and kissed her. They lay together for a moment basking in the joy of new life.

Suddenly Severus leaned up and looked serious. "This will be a disaster. The Carrows have said they want to try out the Cruciatus Curse on as many different situations as they can find. A pregnant woman would be an irresistible target."

"They wouldn't dare. I'm your wife, and those who matter would see this child as a future Death Eater."

"I don't trust them to control themselves."

"I'm sure it will be fine. Surely their sense of self-preservation is functional."

"Then there's the likelihood that Hogwarts will be the focus of future battles. Dumbledore was sure of it, and his reasoning is good."

"I've always thought the safest place in the world was within the arms of Severus Snape. You yourself have told me that it's here at Hogwarts. How can I be safer than just as I am, right this minute?"

"It's not the same as when Dumbledore was here. I can't provide the same protections as he did. The Carrows' very presence prevents it."

"Then we just won't tell anyone, Severus. The people we would want to tell don't want anything to do with us. I'll be fine for months this way. I'm tired of being apart, and I want our baby to grow in the presence of his or her father."

He sighed, defeated for now. "We don't have to decide now. You are quite tired, anyway. Sleep my love, and know that I'm delighted. I'm very worried, but extremely happy that in the midst of everything, we get this gift from life." He lay down and took her into his arms, kissing her and whispering sweet endearments into her hair. She was asleep quickly, basking in his love.

* * *

Several weeks after Harry Potter broke up a hearing at the Ministry of Magic, Headmaster Snape was enjoying a quiet evening on the grounds of Hogwarts, walking with his wife and small son. It had been a mild afternoon and the evening twilight was quite enjoyable. It was a rare moment that the family got to simply enjoy a few moments of togetherness. Managing Hogwarts was a difficult job with the entire staff hostile for one reason or another and three quarters of the student body sullen and ill-mannered. Emily's schedule made it difficult as well, since the hospital was seeing more patients than ever.

When they did get a chance to spend this sort of evening together, they often stopped at the grave site of Headmaster Dumbledore. Mourning the late friend and mentor was difficult as many people would be suspicious of their motives and it would tip the others off to the Snapes' true allegiances. Walks such as this one gave them an opportunity to say goodbye and grieve in small ways privately.

Brendon had tired and was nestling in his father's arms when Hope came running across the lawn. "Daddy!" she cried as she reached them. "Don't let them kill him! Please, Daddy!"

"What is the matter, Hope?"

"Those Carrows--"

"That's _Professor_ Carrow, young lady."

"They say they caught Neville, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley in your office, trying to steal the Sword of Gryffindor. There was a huge battle in your office—"

The Headmaster started striding toward the castle, his wife and daughter struggling to keep up. "Where are they now?"

"They're in the Dark Arts classroom. They summoned Crabbe and Goyle and Millicent to torture them. That's how I found out."

They arrived at the front door. Severus turned to his wife. "Can you take Brendon the rest of the way, Emily? If they were caught stealing something from the Headmaster's office, it's my responsibility to deal with it."

"Yes," said Emily, reaching for her son. She went up one staircase as her husband went up another.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts strode through the castle, his robes billowing about him. His daughter followed until he got to the Dark Arts classroom.

"Miss Snape, you shouldn't be here. Go back to your own common room."

"Yes, sir." When Daddy spoke like that, he was to be obeyed instantly. At least now she knew Neville and the two girls would get proper justice and would not be tortured for fun.

The door to the classroom banged open. The occupants turned to see Headmaster Severus Snape within the doorway, taking in the scene with a dark expression. "Am I to learn what happened this evening?"

Amycus oiled his voice and spoke whiningly, "Headmaster, we saw that these three had missed dinner and found them in your office, attempting to steal the Sword of Gryffindor. We had hoped to spare you the trouble—"

As Snape looked at the brother and sister, his black eyes took on a dangerous glint. "You hoped to _spare me the trouble?_ You presumed, Amycus? Tonight there was a crime against the Headmaster's office, against the very nature of Hogwarts, itself. It is my responsibility and mine alone."

A moment of silence fell on the room. The Headmaster glowered, the professors cowered, and the half dozen students present tried not to look at anyone else.

Snape now used a quieter and more dangerous voice. "Amycus and Alecto, you may go now, as well as your assistants. Longbottom, Lovegood, and Weasley will come with me."

Alecto was reluctant to see her evening's entertainment thus ended. "But Severus— "

He turned to her. "Professor, I trust you are not going to question my authority. We can go to a higher one, if you prefer. It will end the way it has every time before now." He looked at her meaningfully and she scurried out of the classroom behind her brother. The Headmaster turned and saw the Slytherin students still standing there. "Are you still here? Return to your common room."

Headmaster Snape swept out of the room, the guilty parties behind him. They traveled up several flights of stairs in silence and arrived eventually at the Headmaster's office, which was in a shambles. The indignant portraits started clamoring about the deeds of the two professors who had recently been in the room. The current Headmaster lifted his hand.

"I can guess what happened," he answered. "I said downstairs that a crime had been committed against the very nature of Hogwarts. I didn't say by whom."

"Sir, that's Harry's sword, now," said Ginny Weasley, unable to contain herself. "It was left to him in Dumbledore's will—"

"SILENCE, Miss Weasley," said Snape, with a twisted lip. "That sword belongs where it is until I am otherwise notified by a proper authority. I see that I must deal with Dumbledore's Army decisively. When will you students learn..." His voice trailed off as he noticed his sixth year Charms text on his desk. It was opened to a specific page. This was not the work of any Death Eater. He read the notes he had written in the margin of the page and struggled not to allow a smile to creep across his face.

Snape cleared his throat. "Your detention will have two parts. The first part will be utterly confidential. I do not want to hear the slightest hint that this has happened. The second part will be with Professor Hagrid."

He proceeded to teach them a spell that he had worked out between his own sixth and seventh year. He knew that his wife had suggested it by leaving the book open on his desk. The Headmaster worked with the students until they could perform it perfectly and silently. Then he took them to Hagrid's cabin and asked the Care of Magical Creatures professor if there was a job they could help with in the Forbidden Forest. Just as he parted ways with the group, Neville followed him.

"Sir, did you just teach us the spell that Healer Snape used to help my parents?"

The Headmaster snorted. "Are you suggesting, Longbottom, that I have wasted _my_ valuable time teaching you _spellwork_ when there is a castle full of fully qualified teachers who have been assigned that very task?"

Neville understood and turned red. "Oh, no sir."

"I didn't think so. Don't let me hear about such nonsense again."

The Headmaster walked back up the castle again, smiling at the lights in his living quarters. Within minutes he was putting his office back to rights as his son took a bath and prepared for bed. Domestic cares aside, Severus and Emily found each other in their bedroom. He explored her ripened bosom and the increasing curve of her abdomen as she memorized, yet again, the exact texture of his hair and the feel of his skin as she ran her hands along his back. Another separation would come, but tonight they took advantage of togetherness.

* * *

Through his seventh year at Hogwarts, Neville Longbottom studied some of his classes and sat through others by day. By night he and some friends found ways to keep the memory of Dumbledore's Army alive. It earned them detentions and that meant being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse. Now that they knew how to reduce the effects of the curse, though, it wasn't as bad as the Carrows thought. In fact, it was amusing, now that more people were in on the spell, to watch the cursed students make much of their "injuries."

Only three students had any idea where the counter-spell had come from. The others who had been taught the spell under promise of secrecy thought that Neville, Luna, or Ginny had somehow found or come up with the spell. They did not enlighten anyone about the true source of the spell. They knew that the Headmaster was as good as his word. If it ever got back to him, there would be dire consequences.

The Headmaster was an enigma. His method of punishment for the attempted theft in his office was pretty tame. In particular, the fact that he gave them the means to protect themselves was quite confusing. Everyone knew that he was considered the greatest of the Death Eaters, and yet, sometimes he seemed to work against the Carrows while being quite respectful and considerate of the other professors. He regularly came down very hard on Dumbledore's Army, yet sometimes the graffiti they made was left up for as long as a day.

Days after the attempted theft, the Headmaster had made a public announcement during lunch about the removal of the sword of Gryffindor to Gringotts. It seemed that a benefactor to the school had offered the use of his vault, since the school itself no longer seemed to be safe. He stated that it was a shame the school had fallen to this level. Neville looked at the Headmaster carefully. Snape looked furious over this turn of events. As a result, there would also be more protections, in the form of Dementors guarding the outside boundary walls.

A similar enigma was found in the person of the Headmaster's daughter. Neville longed for the days when he could write her short notes asking her to explain things. He even caught himself, a few times, dipping his quill and writing "Dear Hope" at the top of parchments before quickly siphoning the ink from the paper before it dried.

Margo Snape was different these days. He had accused her of being with the Death Eaters. Perhaps she had dropped any pretense she might have been showing. He found himself looking at her from time to time and decided she looked more like her father, now. Her eyes were cold and hollow, a darker blue than he had ever seen. She stalked through the hallways when going from class to class and her robes tended to billow around her, too. She was just as attractive as ever, but it was a cold beauty. It was easy to see why some had started calling her the "ice princess of Slytherin."

There was a day in Muggle Studies class when Professor Carrow had chosen to Cruciate Zacharias Smith. Neville watched in pride as Seamus cast the counter spell perfectly for the first time. Smith made much of screaming and crying during his greatly reduced torture and Hope had turned her head, her lips twitching with amusement. For just the shortest instant Neville's eyes met with Hope's and they exchanged a knowing glance before her eyes iced over and she looked down at her desk. Neville knew from that glance that she knew the spell and without asking, he knew she would have used it herself if it had been him instead of Smith. He realized that the Hope he had always known very much existed.

He continued looking at her in lunch, wishing she would turn to look at him again, until Luna sat beside him. "You still fancy her?"

"What do you mean 'still'? The word is 'never'. She's not my type, and she's on the side of You-Know-Who."

"You've been passing notes for years, and you still look at each other all the time. Are you sure she's not your type?"

"Quite the opposite, and how do you know about our notes?"

"You notice a great deal when no one talks to you." Luna could make the most uncomfortable truths sound commonplace. "She's not on the side of You-Know-Who, and neither is her father."

"How can you say that, after what he did last spring?"

"I don't know, but I don't think he is. My father is going to publish an expose in one of his spring issues."

Neville hid a laugh and chose to ignore it. Luna was always saying odd things. If the _Quibbler_ was involved, there was no reason to believe it.

Suddenly Margo Snape stood to go to her next class. Theodore Nott stood beside her and helped her with her books. He must have said something charming because Margo smiled softly up at him and blushed. She happened to glance around the room and her eyes met Neville's again. It was as if a Chilling Charm had hit her. Her eyes froze into the hollow spaces he was used to seeing these days and her smile became cold and mocking. Neville looked away.

Luna was watching the pair walk out of the Great Hall, Nott's hand at Margo's elbow. "He fancies her, but she's not interested." Luna turned and looked at Neville. "What if you're wrong, Neville? What if there's something we just don't know? What if they've been on the right side all along? What if you don't really _have_ a type?"

Neville didn't know and he didn't want to think about it. He knew he couldn't forgive Margo Snape for being on the wrong side of things. He wasn't sure he could forgive her if it turned out he was in the wrong, and he knew that was backwards. As he mulled it over, Luna patted his shoulder and left for class. Neville looked around to gather his things as well. Suddenly he realized that Luna had never said whom they were discussing. Somehow she had just known.

_A/N: It's been a bit of a wild week; I hope no one has gotten lost. Thank you to all of my reviewers. I know some of you have been unable to get into the system or have been away or have been extremely busy lately. Thank you very much to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	76. Winter Holidays

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

The Christmas Holidays came and most students left the school. Parents were eager to have their children within their own homes for a few precious weeks. The Snapes stayed at the school, however, since the Professors Carrow would also remain. The Headmaster wished to keep an eye on them.

The flood of injured people at St. Mungo's had tapered off but was still steady. Emily had tried to reduce her shifts but had not succeeded in doing so to any great extent. She had to work on Christmas day and arrived back in the Headmaster's office to be told by a house-elf that she was expected at dinner in the Great Hall.

Emily was weary, but she was also eager to spend the afternoon and evening with her family. She went down the stairs as quickly as she could and stopped at the bottom for just a moment to catch her breath. She was feeling just a bit light-headed. Severus must have been watching the door for her, because he smiled at her the instant she was in the room. Emily smiled back just as her world went black.

She came to a groggy consciousness in the Hospital Wing, where Poppy was clucking over her and Severus was sitting by her, clinging to her hand. "I don't know why you didn't see fit to tell us, Severus. I'm still a professional and I'm not inhuman."

Severus scowled at the informal address he was receiving. "The attention I have received around here lately hardly invited confidences, Madam Pomfrey. There are also certain dangers to consider."

Poppy snorted. "You invited the dangers here. You can hardly complain about them, now. Don't worry, I won't divulge anything to anyone who does not need to know."

Severus shifted the subject, becoming a concerned husband and father. "Is she all right? Is there a problem with the baby?"

"The child is in excellent health. Emily is simply worn out. I know they need help at St. Mungo's, but they need to ease up on her. Do they know of her condition?"

"Of course, they confirmed it."

"I'll send them a note, then. They need to let her slow down before they kill her."

Emily spoke up then. "The baby?"

Severus leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Poppy says our child is fine and that you are just exhausted. I'll contact your mother that you won't be in tomorrow."

"Or the next day," added Poppy.

"Or the next day," agreed Severus.

Emily nodded. "I'd like to go back to our own quarters. I feel exposed, here."

Severus helped her sit up. "Are you up to it?"

Emily nodded. "Yes, I just need to get back to where you and the children are."

The Mediwitch watched the Headmaster lead his wife out of the Infirmary, his arm firmly around the pregnant woman's waist. The man's devotion to his wife made it hard to believe that he could truly be bad. There was no arguing with the fact that he had killed his predecessor, though. Poppy sighed.

* * *

The Snape family enjoyed their Christmas evening together and the morning afterwards. Emily needed to stay quiet and rest. In the afternoon Hope took Brendon outside to play in the snow while Severus kept his wife company. They played games and discussed various things until a clamor in the Headmaster's office drew him away from his wife.

He came back a moment later to get his heaviest cloak and kiss his wife goodbye. "Phineas thinks he knows where the boy is."

Emily knew that Headmaster Black somehow had a connection to Harry Potter and his friend, Hermione Granger. The portrait was trying to obtain information concerning their location so that Severus could somehow get Gryffindor's sword to the boy for the tasks that Dumbledore had set him. The sword at Gringotts was a fake while the real sword had been hidden behind Dumbledore's portrait. "Be careful, someone might be trying to set a trap."

"I'm always careful. Trust me."

"I trust _you_."

For once Severus Snape was smiling as he left his apartment.

* * *

Severus returned after the children had gone to bed. He was exhausted but pleased to have the task completed. He described setting the sword in a frozen pool and sending the doe Patronus to find Potter. Potter had come and when the doe disappeared, he saw the sword in the pool. Severus watched from between two trees as the boy took his clothing off and dove into the water. He was horrified when Potter didn't come back up and relieved when Ronald Weasley came and pulled him out.

He had Disillusioned himself so that the boys would not find him and had watched in amazement as they took a golden locket out and destroyed it. The voice that came from the locket was all too familiar to anyone who had spent time with the Dark Lord. The voice echoed and filled Severus with horror. When Weasley destroyed the locket with the sword it was a great relief. Even the animal noises in the forest had gone silent when the locket opened and went back to normal when it was destroyed. The boys wandered off and eventually disappeared in the woods, discussing commonplace things except for a word unfamiliar to Severus.

"Emily, have you ever heard of Horcrux?"

"Is it the name of a spell?"

"I don't know. They mentioned it as they went back to the tent. I suppose it could be a spell, item, or potion or perhaps nothing at all. I wonder if it's related to what Dumbledore wanted them to do to defeat _him_."

"I've never heard of it."

"I suppose I can do some checking. What are you reading?" He saw that Emily had _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ on her lap. "You can't be serious."

"Well, I'm not sure if it's all true, but it's fascinating reading. I found this interesting, look." She showed him a picture of the late Headmaster as a young man with another young man. The accompanying caption said, _Albus Dumbledore, shortly after his mother's death, with his friend Gellert Grindelwald_. "It must have been years and years before their duel. Albus suggested that Grindelwald was once a close friend at the very least. I wonder how they ever got so close."

Severus sat down and pulled his wife's legs into his lap. "I wouldn't mind getting close to you, but I think you're supposed to be quiet until Poppy checks you, tomorrow."

Emily smiled up at him. "It's not so bad."

"No, it isn't. At least I get to have you beside me, tonight. Which reminds me that you're supposed to be resting. Let's get you to bed."

* * *

"You called, My Lord?"

"Ah, Severus, you are quite prompt."

"Your summons is very important."

"Yes, it is. Severus, I have learned that you are holding out on me."

"My Lord?"

"You will find that Alecto is quite adept in the art of listening at doors. She has informed me that congratulations are due to the House of Snape."

Severus swore to himself that, from now on, he would always use the Muffling Charm whenever he so much as asked the time. "Yes, Emily is with child."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"We haven't told anyone. Our safety at Hogwarts is precarious. So much of the staff resents my presence there..."

"Ah, and we must protect our future Death Eaters. That's quite prudent, Severus." The lipless mouth smiled. "I find that although you and your wife were reluctant to join my fold, you have accomplished great things for me. You rid me of one concern, you are protecting Hogwarts from another, and you are providing me with great Wizarding stock for the next generation of my servants."

"We do what we can."

"When will my new servant come?"

"We believe the middle of May."

"There's no way Potter will survive until then. We could easily be preparing for the birth of my heir by this time next year."

"Yes, My Lord." Severus willed himself not to think of it, now.

"The Snape family will be greatly rewarded at that time."

"As you wish."

The spider like fingers waved, indicating a change of subject. "You know I search for a powerful weapon that I can use against Potter."

"Yes, My Lord."

"I have questioned Ollivander and more recently Gregorovitch. That was a bit of a dead end, but I believe my weapon passed through the hands of another young man." He held the remains of a photograph. "I will be returning to Europe to trace him. While I am gone, I trust you can continue your good work at Hogwarts?"

"Absolutely."

"Don't fail me, Severus." With a wave of the pale, overlong fingers, the Headmaster was dismissed. Severus hurried back to Hogwarts, worried about the fact that his wife was unprotected from attack by two people within the castle.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I think my parents are near the breaking point. They've been arguing for half the Holidays about Mum's safety here at Hogwarts. Daddy's back to calling her "Madam," something I haven't heard since You-Know-Who came back. Daddy thinks that with her pregnancy, Mum could be in increased danger from certain people who are here at Hogwarts. Mum thinks that's ridiculous and that she could never be safer than if she was with Daddy. _

_It got worse just this week. He came back a few nights ago quite agitated. It seems that one of our two new professors had overheard that Mum is pregnant. She told You-Know-Who and he spoke with Daddy about it. Daddy and Mum have been discussing it ever since._

_His strongest argument is in the way Luna was abducted from the Hogwarts Express on the way home. Daddy was livid about it. He takes the wellbeing of us students so seriously. "Madam," he said, "If they're willing to kidnap a teenaged girl in order to make Xeno Lovegood do what they want, what might they do with you?" Her response was that the baby was considered too valuable and that enough people know the Dark Lord's other plans that no one would hurt her. There's something they haven't told me about Mum and the Dark Lord. I heard her discuss it with Sirius Black long ago, but it still doesn't make any sense._

_For now, Mum has convinced Daddy that she is best off where she is. Daddy has said he will consider it, but if anything changes, she will have to go to Grandma's house. He begged her and he sounded like he was almost choking. Mum apologized and told him that the next time something happened, she would go as he requested. I know they've told me a lot about what's been going on this year, but there's still some they're holding back._

_I look forward to seeing you tomorrow in Dark Arts class. I admire your spunk and your self-confidence. I always knew it was there, but you're using it, now. I wish they wouldn't use it as an excuse to hurt you. The best part about class tomorrow is that you won't be covered in bruises and half-healed wounds, for once._

_Sincerely,_

_Hope_

* * *

_A/N: Thank you again for reading, and to reviewers Istani, excessivelyperky, and angstycryingbaby47. A special thanks goes to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	77. The Sleeping Dog Wakes

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

During the first week of January, something new happened in the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungos. Alison had volunteered faithfully over the course of the past year and a half. Most mornings, when the patient known as James Ogden awoke, she looked through the picture book with him and narrated the story of his life as well as she knew it. He looked at the pictures somewhat absently, but occasionally he would stop and look at one with a slight flicker of recognition in his eyes.

Sometimes when she came and sat down, Alison told herself that he recognized her, too. He seemed to look up somewhat hopefully when she came, especially when she had missed a day or two before. She felt stupid for placing her hopes on a man who would likely be in the hospital his whole life, but she spent a great deal of time here, too. It was the most constant relationship she had ever had.

On this morning, James stopped Alison at a picture of himself dancing at a wedding with the bride. He pointed to the picture and with an expression of perfect recall on his face said, "I need to see Emily Snape." He looked up at her and she knew that the person of Sirius Black had found his way back to the surface.

* * *

The next afternoon found Emily Snape pacing across the entrance to the Janus Thickey Ward. She told herself that her 1 pm appointment would arrive soon, but as she walked in the other direction she questioned whether he would come, knowing the animus between this wizard and her husband. Turning again she thought that surely the package she had sent would count for something. On returning, she wondered if she should have been more explicit in her letter about the nature of the meeting. On and on she paced, hoping that this wizard, out of all that circle of friends, would ask questions first rather than condemn her out of hand.

"Emily?"

"Remus!" At least he came; that was a relief. He was scowling at her, though, and holding up the picture book.

"Do you know how long I looked for this? Have you had it the whole time? What could you possibly have done with it?"

"Remus, can you stand some good news?"

"This better not be some sort of Death Eater trap."

"Please, you have to see this to understand it."

"You have just a few minutes."

"Come." Emily led him into the ward and to the space occupied by a patient named James Ogden. The patient was joking and flirting with the volunteer who had visited him all this time. She had him peek inside.

Remus looked in amazement and then looked at Emily. "How?"

"Harry misunderstood me and thought he was dead. He wasn't himself and Albus thought it was for the best to keep this secret. He just woke yesterday and asked to see me. I spoke with him for a little while and then sent for you. He should make a complete recovery."

"Does he know about—"

"I've told him nothing about the last year and a half. You may tell him, with whatever slant you wish to put on it."

"Don't worry, Mrs. _Snape_, I shall tell him everything."

Emily was stung but tried to be cordial. "That's as it should be. He needs to be with the people he counts as friends."

"I don't know what to say. 'Thank you' under the circumstances seems both inadequate and inappropriate."

Emily's lip trembled. "Please, just talk to him. Remember old times, explain the new, and help him get the rest of the way better. Whatever you do, don't mess up my arrangements. I've worked very hard to keep his presence here a secret. He deserves a chance."

"That's pretty odd coming from the wife of Severus Snape. I think I can be trusted, however."

He swept into the curtained area with a demeanor more commonly seen in James Potter than Remus Lupin, and Emily heard the cries of recognition and reunion. All would be well, and the patient she had laid on the bed so many months before would finally go home. It was as it should be, and Emily walked out of the ward and back to her other duties.

* * *

Several weeks after waking at St. Mungo's, the patient known as James Ogden was ready to return to the life he had known before entering the hospital. The Healer in charge of the Janus Thickey Ward smiled as she went over his discharge instructions, and signed him out with a light heart. Too few of her patients ever left on their own feet. As he left the hospital, James Ogden disappeared forever, having been unsought by any person.

Remus had considered various places where his friend could continue his convalescence and finally decided upon the family home. After the Death Eaters had been let within the Fidelius Charm by Hermione Granger they had swarmed through the house and then left. They decided there was nothing of value to be had and no information to be found. It was an obvious place to hide Sirius Black and yet no watch had been kept there and the Order of the Phoenix had found no spells to inform anyone if people started living there again.

It seemed that Albus Dumbledore had worked some intricate magic in dealing with Sirius's estate. Although Harry Potter stood to inherit everything, he had never had the opportunity to take possession of it. Had he done so, he would have discovered that his inheritance was not yet released because his godfather had not yet died. In the meanwhile, Harry had been able to exercise rights of ownership over certain portions of the property, such as the house. That reverted to the true owner as soon as he crossed the threshold.

Emily and Remus helped Sirius step back into the home of his parents, which he had last left in a hurry to join in the rescue effort at the Ministry. It was just as he left it although it showed the marks of the Death Eaters attempts to find valuable objects. Sirius smiled grimly. Mundungus Fletcher might have been a thief, and Sirius might not have cared about Black family heirlooms, but he took some satisfaction out of the fact that Dung had kept those objects out of the greedy hands of the Death Eaters.

Sirius had not regained his proper walk yet and in shuffling through the hall tripped on a carpet. He grabbed Emily around the waist to steady himself and was rewarded by a returning bump from within her tummy.

"Emily," Sirius turned and looked down accusingly at her, "you aren't with child again, are you?"

Her answer was a sweet smile and nod.

"Is it, did You-Know-Who..." It wasn't the sort of question one could just ask, even if one was Sirius Black.

"It's my husband's child."

Sirius looked at Emily with concern. "Has he been hurting or forcing you?"

Stung and offended, Emily shook her head. "No!"

"I don't understand, Emily. How could you willingly share a bed with the man who killed—"

His question was cut off when Emily body-checked Sirius hard enough to shove him past Remus and into the portrait of Walburga Black. The curtains in front of the portrait opened, as did the mouth of Walburga, but that lady was silenced at seeing her supposedly dead son standing before her.

Emily was not silent, however. "Say what you like, Sirius, you always have. Think about this, though. The father of this child was with me the day I put you in the very bed you left this morning. He has known all along where you were and has kept the secret. You owe him for that. Your cousins would have given a lot to know you were there, essentially helpless.

"You should also know that he has never stopped working for Dumbledore. Furthermore, although the Headmaster's office sealed itself off from Dolores Umbridge, it never did so to Severus Snape. None of it adds up, except to those who look carefully. I have warned you and told you, Sirius Black, to be careful what you say about my husband. I'm getting to the point where I might forget my oath as a Healer where you're concerned."

She covered her mouth with her hands as she realized what she had just done to a patient and all that she had said. "I'm sorry. I've been horribly unprofessional. You're better off without me from now on." She turned and slipped out the door.

Sirius got back onto his feet with Remus's help. "What got into her?"

Remus thought a moment about the pregnant woman in his own life. "If she really loves him, she will fight on his behalf. Dora is the same way."

"Yes, but you're one of us, and he's... _him_. Do you suppose he has her under the Imperius?"

"I don't think so. She's always been a bit touchy about how you and James treated him."

Remus helped his friend settle into the small sitting room. Kreacher was summoned and a state of détente was worked out. For the time being Kreacher would help Master, because he must, but also for the sake of Harry Potter and Master Regulus. Master was encouraged to be kinder to Kreacher for the sake of the same people.

They settled in to relax for the evening when a thought came to Sirius. "Say, Moony," he started.

"Yes?" Remus looked up from a text.

"These are dangerous times, right? Anyone could get killed."

"That's true enough."

"So if old Snivelly were to, er, not survive the war, do you suppose Emily..."

"Not a chance, mate. She never did, before." Remus tried to re-locate his place on the page.

"She spent all that time helping me get better."

"Actually, she told me that although she looked at your recovery records every month she only went into your room once or twice. She was worried that someone might recognize you if they saw her with you."

"She came to my room almost every day."

"That was Alison."

"Alison?" Sirius smiled in recollection of the blond he knew. "She was a sweet girl. She's been nice these past few weeks."

"I've spoken with her. She's quite a pleasant witch, now, and she took a lot of time to help you."

"Do you suppose she's married?"

"I don't believe so."

"Do you suppose she would visit me?"

"There's only one way to find out." Remus stood and stretched. "I should get home to Dora. She has some odd cravings these days. Sometimes it's me."

"What's it like being so tied down?"

"It's wonderful. Do you want me to help you to your room?"

"Actually, I'm tired of beds. I think I'll just get comfortable down here for tonight."

"Suit yourself."

Lupin left and Sirius was alone. As he sat on his couch and stared at his fire, he glanced occasionally at the easy chair across the hearth. It seemed like only weeks ago that Emily had sat there feeding her son, but it was years. The boy must be much bigger by now.

As he dozed, he recalled snippets of the past year and a half. There were times when he had wanted to wake up and say something back to the lady beside him. All the time that he had imagined Emily it had really been Alison's soft voice, hands, and laughter. From time to time he glanced at the chair, and continued to imagine a mother and child. Over the course of the evening, the woman seemed to change shape from a curvy brunette to a slimmer and taller blond.

_A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews, angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and tibys. Istani, thank you very much for your thoughtful comments on the whole Horcrux thing. Part of the storyline depends upon how I've portrayed it here, so we're kind of stuck with having it this way. A very special thanks, as always, to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	78. From Bad to Worse

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

It was early in March and all who came into the Great Hall for breakfast one day could tell without looking that the Headmaster was enraged. Death Eaters had come onto the school grounds to break up a "Support Harry Potter" party at Professor Hagrid's cottage. Hagrid had escaped, perhaps to the hills nearby, but now there would be Death Eaters in Hogsmeade looking for him and more dementors were stationed in the village. Many students at the Slytherin table were delighted. Some were related to the Death eaters in town and looked forward to the proximity of their family. Many of the rest of the students busied themselves with breakfast, trying hard not to smile at the idea of Hagrid's party and then trying hard not to be too subdued over the changes to the school and village.

The Headmaster went back to his office to await his wife's return from St. Mungo's after a late night shift. Emily smiled wearily as she came through the fireplace and then walked around her husband's desk, into his waiting arms. He pulled her into his lap.

"Emily, I'm sorry, but it's time."

The smile vanished, replaced by a look of distress which was quickly erased by resignation. "What has happened?"

He described Hagrid's party and the steps the Dark Lord had taken to prevent that sort of thing happening again. "I can't have you near so many dementors. I know how they affect you, and the Death Eaters will get bold soon, coming onto school property without invitation."

Emily considered all of the arguments she had made about this and her desire to be with her husband, especially if he ever came into danger. Protecting his peace of mind won out. If he lost his concentration, then disaster could follow for more people than the Snapes. "I promised, and I will abide by your decision."

Severus sighed in relief. "Thank you." He pulled her close as the baby moved. His hand slid down to her belly. "You don't have to leave this minute, however."

"No?"

His hand worked between the fastenings of her robe and under the waistband of her skirt. "We could enjoy our last bit of time together."

"You're brilliant, you know."

* * *

_10 August 1979_

_It's now three weeks since I gave myself to Severus. _

_I had a terrible dream that woke me early this morning. I'm not used to dreams so vivid. Lily was with Severus, pregnant with his child. They told me I had to deliver the baby and so I assisted her in undressing, noticing that her body is exquisite perfection. Mine has good points, but hers, at least in the dream, has no bad points. After a while, a baby appeared in my arms and when I went to hand it to Severus, he reached into my chest and removed my heart, which he handed to Lily, leaving me with the child in my arms._

_I know what the dream is about. Even if I continue to avoid the situation, it will not change. My monthly flow should have started days ago. It's never this late. _

_Severus's child grows within me. He wants no part of me, but I have a part of him. Foolish girl! A simple recollection of my monthly calendar would have told me that we were making love at the surest time to conceive a child. I knew how to prevent this, and even if I have no intention of ever using the vile stuff indefinitely, I might have this one time. I was even in the kitchen before we started. It would have been a simple matter to put the preparation together and take it. I had a wizard quite skilled in preparing potions at my side right then, too._

_On the other hand, my brief sojourn into womanhood is not over. I'm going to be a mother. It's a lovely thought. I hope Severus won't be angry as long as I make it clear I don't expect anything from him. _

_I will have to ask another Healer-in-training to examine me and confirm it. I wish it could be anyone other than the woman Severus would __choose__ to bear his children, but I fear she is the only one who will be available and I need to know today. Somehow I will get through this, if only for the child's sake. My love for the child's father should see me that far. So my tasks for today are to confirm this pregnancy and then to inform him._

Severus next read a description of Emily confirming her pregnancy, followed by discussing it with him. He smiled over his own memories of holding her hand as first her mother and then his own insisted on examining her. His mother had been so delighted with her pure-blood daughter-in-law and the grandchild who was nearly so. He then nearly laughed aloud at her thoughts on his approach to fatherhood.

_11 August 1979_

_...He drank all of this in. He told me this morning that he already loves our baby and has high hopes for his or her future. I never pictured him as particularly daddy-like, but he's taken to the role with an appetite. If I didn't love him before, I would certainly fall in love now as he discusses the bright future of the rice-sized person in my tummy._

It was tempting to run down to the Slytherin dormitories to check on the person who was considerably bigger than a grain of rice now. It would also be disastrous. For the Headmaster to wander through the school on such a sentimental flight of fancy would be a show of weakness from which he would never recover. Telling Emily of his thoughts would be much more the proper thing.

* * *

_My dear one,_

_I have started reading your diary again. Tonight I read about the day you informed me that you were pregnant with our daughter. What joy those memories bring me now, and yet you were so very worried at the time. I can still hear the tremble in your voice as you agreed to what I so foolishly wanted that night. I can see in your handwriting how determined you were to be happy with just the baby if that was all you ever had and how hurt you were when I first suggested Obliviation. _

_Then you gave me your news, calmly and quietly. You didn't ask for anything, you simply wanted me to be informed and then you were willing to go on without me if that was my choice. I can still see your eyes that night. They were so determined, but full of a single wish, too. I'm very grateful that I had the presence of mind to suggest our marriage. I might have been such a fool to suggest that we do so when I was convinced we couldn't love each other. It might have been a disaster. I'm very grateful that you went along with it._

_The night you told me of Hope's existence brings to mind the day you told me of Marcus. We seem so very young in my memories of that day, basking in the glow of having our earliest wishes and dreams realized. We were so fortunate. You had finished your certification, I was becoming established here at Hogwarts, we had one bright and beautiful child, and right then we looked forward to our second one. I recall the night that tidings of Brendon left us both stunned. It was amazing to think that we had such good fortune in the middle of the troubles gathering around us. And now with the new little one I know so much delight. To have that one spot of new life when death surrounds us is incredible. _

_I wish we could be together tonight. I picture you fretting over the changes to your figure due to our growing little one. I would come to stand behind you as you look in the mirror and place my hands over the place where our child rests. Perhaps I would find some small difference tonight that would encourage me to search for others. In any case, I would find myself animated by the dear woman in my arms and bring her to bed. Very little could come between us just then. After fulfilling our passion, I would get to sleep close together with the woman who always brings me comfort and passion and life._

"Did you tell her how much you miss her and love her?"

Severus twisted around and looked at the portrait of Dillys Derwent. "Do you mind?" If the portraits were reading over his shoulder and started spouting excerpts around the school, it would destroy his carefully developed reputation.

"It might be easier than pacing all the time."

"I think I can manage a proper love letter, thank you."

"She's been working almost every day, you know."

"Have you seen her?" It was hard not to keep a trace of eagerness out of his voice.

"She looks a bit care-worn, but they all do these days. The Death Eaters keep them busy. She appears to be healthy, and judging by her shape, the baby is growing well."

"Thank you, Headmistress."

_Instead I prepare to sleep tonight in the room where your pillow still smells of you and I can only remember and wish and hope. I love you, my Emily._

_Yours,  
__Severus_

* * *

Emily Snape Flooed to her mother's house from work one evening and then sighed. It was time to see her son and find out what the household plans were for dinner and the rest of the evening. It was a lonely time of day without Severus or Hope. Mum had been a bit distant since Dumbledore's death and the two Healers frequently worked different shifts to avoid discussing it.

Healer Smith was not working on this particular evening. Emily was tired but she immediately made plans to do something she had meant to do since she had moved to London. After eating dinner, she played with Brendon and put him to bed and got her cloak. She Apparated to her husband's home on Spinner's End.

Severus had succeeded in making both his house and her apartment unplottable. Emily felt safe going to either place because of it. After walking through the house and recalling the last time they had been together in it, Emily went to the library. As she looked through various magical dictionaries and references, she realized that what she was looking for was in a section of particularly evil works. Saying a spell to protect herself from the potential effects of such books, she took a deep breath and pulled the first one from the shelf. She sat down at her husband's desk and started to read.

An hour or two later, Emily had succeeded in eliminating a great many possibilities, but there were still quite a few books to look through. She was getting a cramp from sitting so still and she was quite tired. Emily pondered going back to London. Brendon would sleep through the night and the house-elves would find her in an emergency. She decided to sleep in the bedroom upstairs. It had more of her husband's personality than any of their other bedrooms. She went up the stairs and curled up in the blankets, consoled by the impression of closeness she could get from Severus's things.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_I've noticed that Crucio is being used less these days in favor of other curses. The Professors Carrow must be onto everyone. I feel a pain whenever I see that you have a new injury. I wish I could do something or tell you how to avoid it, but you must do what you must do, I suppose. The DA will continue its activities and the school administration will continue to punish the DA._

_I miss my Mum. I miss the way Daddy's eyes light up whenever he sees her, no matter how angry he is. I miss Brendon. He was just starting to get interesting._

_I miss you, Lucky. I miss the shared silent jokes in Potions class or the way I felt whenever you looked at me. To be honest, I still feel that way, even though I know I shouldn't. I miss the feel of your lips against mine. That one is pretty stupid, because we only had the one kiss and I've had a couple of others since then and I know you've snogged at least the one girl pretty thoroughly. Still, I relive that one moment of my life as the best ever. It's the one I use when I cast a Patronus._

_I need to get back to my Arithmancy. These days I have to work a little harder and be a bit better behaved than anyone else. The teachers are so angry at Daddy. I don't think they're taking it out on me, exactly, but I feel like I do have to have things a bit better than I used to in order to get the same grades. I guess I wouldn't blame them._

_Sincerely,  
__Hope_

Margo rolled this parchment up and added it to the secret compartment in her trunk, which was getting full. She would be so much better off if she used a diary, but somehow it seemed more like Neville would actually see it if she did it the old way.

_A/N: Thank you reviewers babbington, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani and tibys! A very special thank to to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	79. A Momentary Slip

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

Margo Snape was distracted when she walked up to her father's office one evening. She had become over-confident in the fact that she was the Headmaster's daughter. She was thinking about the fact that Neville had looked at her in Herbology class today, almost the way he used to look. She was disobeying every rule of self-defense that her parents had taught her.

As she walked through a quiet seventh-floor hallway, an arm snaked out of an alcove and pulled her in. Margo found herself pressed between the wall and the body of Draco Malfoy. He held her in such a way that reaching for her wand was impossible. Her only hope lay in summoning help from a bystander, in a part of the castle where the only passers-by would not be kindly inclined toward her.

"What are you doing, Draco?"

"I'm fulfilling a long-held wish, Sweet Thing. It's not often I get the bonus of delighting my parents, too." He moved his face toward hers, but she twisted away. She couldn't twist out of his embrace, however, and he took advantage of the new position to explore her figure. She twisted back.

"Stop, Draco, I don't want this."

"Every girl wants this, Margo. If I can trap you, then you'll have to marry me. My parents would be delighted."

"I'm not even truly pure-blood."

"No, but your father is important to the Dark Lord, and your mother, too. When Potter is extinguished, your family will be important and anyone who marries you will be important, too."

"I don't believe it."

"Why do you suppose Nott's been hanging around with you? He's hoping to wear you down."

Margo stopped trying to squirm away at that one. "He says he's not joining the Death Eaters."

"He may say it, but he's still trying to attract you. His father is wild to get you into the family."

Margo didn't believe it...quite. She renewed her efforts to break away.

"Stop wiggling, Sweet Thing. You might enjoy it, you know."

"I can't imagine that." She used her knee this time, and broke free, but he had grabbed the front of her robe and as she moved away it ripped, along with the blouse underneath.

* * *

Neville Longbottom was working his way back to Gryffindor Tower when he heard a couple arguing. He didn't pay much attention to it until he realized that one of the parties was Margo Snape. He eased back toward the voices, just to see what was happening. Suddenly he heard the sound of ripping fabric and a shriek. He came up behind Draco Malfoy, who still had the ragged edge of Margo's robe in one hand, and was trying to contain her with the other while standing a bit strangely. Neville never gave it a thought.

"_Stupify!_"

He performed the spell silently, but it worked perfectly. In an instant, Malfoy was on the floor, probably developing a bruise on his own face for once. Hope stood there looking at him, too startled to move. Neville forced himself not to look at the peach-colored lace he glimpsed and grabbed her hand, running down the hallway. Malfoy lay silently on the floor, not knowing the identity of his assailant.

Hope was in a daze, holding her robes together with one hand and enjoying the feel of Neville's hand in her other. When he got to one part of the hallway he paced back and forth a few times, dragging her with him, but she never noticed. She was surprised when a door appeared and Neville hastily opened it and pulled her inside.

"Are you all right? Did he—What did—Have you been hurt?"

"No. He was trying to kiss me, but I kept moving away. I honestly don't think he meant to rip my robes..." As Neville watched, her shoulders trembled, and then shook, and then tears were running down her face. He pulled her into his arms and held her carefully. She snuggled right into him and kept crying as he smoothed at her hair and rubbed her back.

As she calmed down he could feel her melt even further into his arms. She was so soft and even sweet. This was no ice princess. This was the girl who had been his friend for years. He found himself becoming interested in her in a way he knew he should not. She tilted her lips toward his and he knew it was time to go. He took a step backwards and tried to gently set her away.

"Lucky?" She looked hurt and surprised.

"Nothing has changed, Margo."

She lowered her face for a moment, and he saw her take a deep breath. Finally she looked back up, and she was Margo Snape again. "No, of course not," she said quietly.

"Let me fix your clothing."

She held her blouse together and turned her face away as he performed the _Reparo_ spell, and then did the same with her robes. Try as he might, he couldn't catch her eye again. The moment was over, due to his own words, and although he knew he was right to stop it, he couldn't help but wonder.

"Your father's office is just around the corner."

"All right."

"Have your wand ready."

She nodded and followed him as he slipped out the door and quietly made his way to the stone gargoyle. She gave the password and looked around as she stepped onto the stairs. He was gone.

Headmaster Snape answered the knock on his door and looked up from his desk to see his daughter completely disheveled. He got up and walked toward her. "What happened, Miss Snape?"

"Draco—Then Neville—Oh, Daddy!" cried the girl, throwing herself into his arms. He held her there and let her cry for a few minutes before taking her to the couch and sitting her down.

"All right, Little Girl. I need to know. What happened?"

"I—I—" This was going nowhere, so he took her face into his hands and looked in her eyes. In her state she was unable to resist, and he saw the entire thing. The first instinct he indulged was to pull her back into his arms in gratitude that the worst had not happened. As he did that, he pondered the second instinct, which was to run down the hallway and blast the Malfoy boy back to his parents' home. The punishment the boy received at the hands of his daughter and Longbottom would have to suffice.

The third instinct was to look the girl in the eyes again and scold her for being so thoughtless and careless. He did this with great fervor.

"Yes, Sir," answered the girl meekly. She had been at fault on that point, and she knew it.

"Will you be able to deal with this, shake it off and go on?"

"Yes, Daddy. It's just so hard with Neville pushing me away like that. Now maybe Ted doesn't really like me, either. Don't I have a value of my own?"

"Your mother no doubt has told you how very precious you are to us, dear Hope." He looked at her robes. "Longbottom's tailoring skills are lacking."

"I was holding them together and trembling when he was casting the spell. I think he was trying hard not to look at me, too."

"Some of your mother's things are in the bedroom. Why don't you go change?"

She walked into her parents' bedroom and squeaked at the way her robes looked in a mirror, before rummaging in her mother's closet. As she changed, her father paged through Emily's diary, looking for an entry he had recently read. When he looked up, his daughter was standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of her mother's trousers, which were too short, and an overlarge black sweater which brought back an entirely different memory.

_He had waked her with kisses and wished her a Happy Christmas. She rolled over and snuggled into him, her round belly pressed up against him. He went out to the kitchen to fix some tea and take out some pastries to eat for breakfast. When he came out to the sitting room she was standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but the black sweater, which came to her thighs. She had knitted it herself on the sly, so that he could have something to wear under his robes on colder winter days._

_He smirked. "It's customary to wrap presents, you know."_

_She looked up at him provocatively. "One present is wrapped inside the other."_

_He set the tea tray down and reached for her hand, drawing her to sit on some cushions near the Christmas tree. He proceeded to unwrap his first gift and then made love to her to the complete delight of both. Later they wrapped in blankets and continued to open gifts, taking long breaks to enjoy their togetherness._

The Headmaster cleared his throat. "Your mother made me that sweater for our first Christmas together. She was pregnant with you at the time."

The girl fingered the cables and knots worked into the sweater. "Have you worn it much, Daddy?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable, but assumed she knew the worst already. "As you know, my work occasionally takes me to many places. Sometimes I have to be outside in the cold for a long while. I have often worn that sweater under my robes on such occasions. It's like wearing your mother's love."

He sat her back down on the couch and picked up his wife's diary. "I thought that you might want to read this. Your mother wrote it about a month after Marcus died. I hope it will remind you of how very loved and valuable you are to us."

_6 December 1981_

_It's my first full day home. My first thought, upon waking in my own bed this morning, was to pat the baby in my tummy. Then I realized he's not there; he died a month ago. Just as the waves of pain hit me, I noticed the little hands patting my face and the little voice saying, "Mama, Mama."_

_Suddenly my arms and heart were filled with Hope. It's selfish to wish that I could leave my body and go to be with Marcus. It's wrong to mourn so deeply that I forget to make the most of the life I have with my dear husband and little girl. I need to move beyond the anger I feel toward Sirius for betraying the Potters, Dumbledore for letting it happen, and even with Severus for being separated from me during the day before it happened. I need to stop being so angry at Fate that the pregnancy ended the way it did. Somehow I will figure out how to properly balance my grief and the joy of the world that is. I think this little girl of mine will be my tutor in learning how to live with my grief._

"Mum sometimes has a tough time with things, too, doesn't she?"

"Everyone does, my Hope. Your mother once told me that I was important to her, and I tried to laugh it off. I've learned just how wonderful it is. What I want you to remember is that you are important to your mother and me, and to your brother as well. She says right here how important you were at one of the darkest moments of our life together. You are even important to that dunderhead, Longbottom, if my eyes don't deceive me."

The girl sighed, and with a rueful smile he knew that it was as comforting to her now as it had been to him twenty years before. He ruffled her curls and then kissed her forehead, sending her to bed in the room she had used during the Christmas Holiday.

_My Dear Emily,_

_I've just spent a delightful evening with a young lady whom you know well. Together we missed you and Brendon greatly, but we enjoyed our time with each other. I told her some of the things in your diary and kept quite silent on others. I'm sure you can imagine which is which._

_I've been reading lately about our first year together, and regretting the foolishness of mine that kept us from enjoying newlywed life as much as we might have. I've also read up through your first experience with the Dark Lord and about Marcus's short life. We have come through and done so much together, Emily, and there is so much more for us to do. I live for the day we can be together again._

_With love,_

_Severus_

_

* * *

__A/N: Since writing this bit, I learned that it was a common thing for young ladies to knit sweaters for their fiances in the 19th century in Devon, England. Of course Emily only had a week long engagement, so she worked on it as a Christmas present. She also lived in a different time and place, but it seemed an obvious thing. Those who knit a great deal will take every opportunity and excuse to knit for their loved ones. _

_Thank you very much for reading and to reviewers debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani and tibys. Thanks especially go to beta reader Trickie Woo._


	80. March

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

_

* * *

__Dearest Severus,_

_I love to receive your letters. I read them at least twice while eating my breakfast and then keep them close to my heart so that I can read them at the hospital, too. The days have become an endless line of receiving new patients, patching up those who aren't as hurt, and admitting those with more serious wounds. From the patients I often hear about the things you don't tell me in your letters. I must admit I worry. _

_I've also heard, from someone who sees both of us regularly, that you are starting to get a bit worn. She tells me she's not sure if you're eating. Please, dearest, take care of yourself. If not, I shall have to take advantage of your upcoming holiday to fatten you up._

_Things at home are very much the same as before. Mum has gotten a bit less difficult. Perhaps all the work has tired her to the point where she doesn't care so much. Perhaps it has to do with her correspondence with a highly respected Hogwarts professor. I think they may be comparing notes._

_Our new little one grows by the minute, it seems. The midwives say that things are going very well right now. It's a good thing, since they need every hand at the hospital, that I'm not having complications. Brendon misses his Daddy and the opportunity to do "man things." The day care center has expanded its hours as has the staff in general. He gets a chance to play with other children his age, but not so much time with his family. It's not the best way to raise a child, but I know it's only for a while longer. Some day this will all be different._

_There's only just enough space left to tell you how I miss you. I miss your eyes that always let me into your soul. I miss your mouth, which sets me on fire. I feel like I could die from missing your hands. You have been a wonderful lover, husband and father. I long for the time when, one way or another, we are back together again._

_All my love,_

_Emily_

* * *

"Lucky."

Neville heard the whisper, a voice he never expected to hear again in that room and looked toward the place from which it had come. As he watched, Margo removed the Disillusionment Charm she had on herself. She was carrying the sort of bag Healers used and she had a look of distress on her face.

"You don't belong here."

"I know, but I saw the way they tortured you in class today, and they gave you detention tonight, too. I know what _that_ means. I couldn't do just nothing. For one thing, I owe you."

"So what are you here for?"

"Sit down and let me work on those cuts and bruises."

For some reason, Neville found himself doing as she asked. He sat on a couch the room seemed to make for the purpose and she knelt beside him. He had to admit that he did feel better after she said some simple healing charms. He couldn't decide how he felt when she dabbed some ointments on his face and hands.

He tried not to look into her eyes. They were a gentle blue tonight, which wasn't a problem. The unshed tears, however, did cause a difficulty. If he acknowledged the tears he had to acknowledge that he was wrong about her position in the war and perhaps some other things as well. He was already re-thinking some of his ideas. Luna had sounded crazy and some of her father's ideas had as well, but if they were completely wrong, why was Luna kidnapped from the train at Christmas? Neville couldn't face those questions, so it was easier not to look.

Instead he allowed himself to feel her gentle touch and the tingle it left on his skin. Once again he was in trouble. The tingle must be caused by her ointment, he decided. It was the effect of the pain going away. He knew that wasn't it, but it was easier than admitting what her touch really did to him. It was bliss while it lasted, and a relief when it ended.

"Okay, the bruises are still there, but the underlying hexes and jinxes have been healed. That way they won't think you've gotten away with it."

"Hope, you're brilliant." He had not meant to say it; somehow it just came out.

A brief look of joy passed over her face, quickly followed by concern. "I care about you, Lucky. This ointment is a concoction of my parents'. I've learned that Daddy has had to use it upon occasion. Why don't you keep the jar?"

The image of her father rose between them and gave Neville the perspective he had been trying to retrieve. "Well, Snape, your debts are paid, you can leave now. In fact, I may be in debt to you, since your appearance has alerted me to a problem with the way I've been requesting the room."

Scarcely able to breathe at this rapid change in Neville's demeanor, Margo cleared up her things and closed her bag. She took Neville's hand and placed the jar within it before turning. More of the DA were arriving at that point and they watched in amazement as she Disillusioned herself once more and the door opened and closed. She sped to her own dormitory and cast a muffling spell around her bed before indulging in the tears that had been threatening since she saw the full extent of his injuries.

The DA members looked from the door to Neville, who was still sitting on the couch.

"What was that about?" asked Ginny Weasley.

"Oh, nothing. She just stumbled in here."

Ernie Macmillan gave Neville a hard look. Margo Snape never stumbled anywhere, but he let it go. There was a lot to discuss and he didn't want to argue with their leader.

* * *

_Dear Lucky,_

_Do you know how you are killing me? I just want to help. I want other things, too, but I would settle for just helping. Would you please just realize it's not the way it looks?_

She quickly set fire to this one and dropped it into a drinking glass she had near her bed. It was no use. For a moment, she had understood the sweet distress Mum must go through when treating Daddy's injuries, but then Neville had ruined it.

* * *

Emily smiled to herself as she looked around the mostly clear admitting area. For once there weren't many skirmishes. Hope had arrived for the Easter Holidays yesterday. The children were both home and she would go soon, too. She made her way to her office to finish some paperwork. Severus would come this afternoon and she would see her husband that night and for several days. She had managed to get the rest of the week off from work. She moved her hands over her belly. She hoped he wouldn't find her too large. She had been so much smaller when he last saw her, just round enough to look definitely pregnant. Now her robes were a bit snug around her. She would have to find the ones she used for the last months in one of her closets.

A silvery tiger broke into her thoughts. "Emily, I'm expecting a visitor this evening and I'm not sure exactly when. It will make me late in getting to you."

She cast her own Patronus, the mate of his. "I understand and I will be at your house." She had found the basic answer to their question, but hoped the last couple of books would provide a more complete explanation.

* * *

It was very late when Severus Snape blew into his house on Spinner's End. He found his wife dozing on the couch. Several books were stacked on his desk. He looked back at Emily and admired her in her sleep, the sweet face, the lush bosom, and the way her robes stretched over their child. He knelt beside her.

Emily had sat down for just a moment to rest her eyes. She had finished reading about the topic and needed a break. Her slumber deepened and she started having an incredible dream. The hands she loved were unfastening her robes and then caressing her bare belly. She felt his lips start at her navel and move to where the waking child was thumping.

A heartbeat later she was awake and in his arms, kissing him for all she was worth. "You're here," she finally said. "It seems so long and now you're here."

"Let's not waste time in talking," he answered her. She kissed him in return, matching his passion.

He pondered the options. Making love at her stage of pregnancy was rewarding but complicated. It all came down to positions that would protect the baby and positions in which the baby was not in the way. He decided that the couch wouldn't work and pulled her to her feet, guiding her up to their bedroom. They didn't speak.

They kissed everything they could reach as they undressed themselves and each other. They caressed and touched with the urgency of weeks of separation. They treasured each moment until it was over and then treasured the time they could simply hold each other. Finally, all was quiet as they fell asleep, Emily in Severus's arms.

* * *

Severus woke from the best sleep he'd had in weeks to the sensation of Emily running her hands through his hair and along the contours of his face. He kept his eyes closed for a moment to enjoy the feeling of being adored. Her touches changed somewhat, from recalling memories to making new ones and he found his own hand rising to brush the hair from her cheeks. He watched her face as she realized he was awake and saw her eyes turn smoky blue.

She leaned in to receive the kiss that was waiting for her lips and they were lost in each other. He took the time to caress her more carefully and in greater detail. He enjoyed the changes to her body and kissed her everywhere. She abandoned herself to his touches and begged for more, kissing and touching him as much as possible.

This time they didn't fall asleep. Emily looked at him carefully, in a way he knew well.

"Are you injured at all? Are you getting enough to eat? Do you get enough sleep?"

He smiled. "No injuries at this time, and I eat and sleep when I can."

"I hear stories about Hogsmeade at St. Mungo's."

"I'm sure they're true. No hyperbole can do it justice these days. There are Death Eaters on every street corner, Dementors prowling the outer boundary walls of the school, and more Death Eaters prowling around the halls of the school. Even a professor and his wife would find it difficult to sneak off for a quick snog in a deserted hallway right now."

She smiled at his attempt to make humor out of the situation. "Perhaps it's just as well that your wife isn't there."

"It's hell, Emily. The Dark Lord is convinced that Potter will try to break into the school and he's covered every avenue to make sure that he doesn't do it. They behave like animals, they eat a fortune's worth of food, and the students have to travel in packs. If they get caught alone, especially if they're Half-blood..." She looked at him to finish the sentence. "I don't think we've had any cases of clear rape, yet, but a few have come close. There's definitely been torture."

It gave Emily an opening. Hope had been so listless over the weekend. "What has happened to our daughter?"

"Malfoy."

"I knew it. I knew he would hurt her as soon as he got the chance—"

"He didn't get a chance. Longbottom happened past and rescued her before any damage was done."

Emily closed her eyes and sighed in relief. "Why didn't she tell me about this? We had all weekend—"

"Because he then rebuffed her, and rebuffed her again when she tried to thank him. Given the current circumstances, I didn't feel the need to warn her against sitting outside the Gryffindor Portrait Hole."

Emily smiled. "I wanted to kill Lily Evans that week."

"I read that part of your diary. I know." He pulled her close and kissed her nose.

"Does Hope seem quieter to you?"

"She's got a lot on her mind. Malfoy did suggest to her that the Dark Lord has plans for our family."

"Does he know about what I will be expected to do?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I know he hasn't told her. From conversations I've been hearing before and after meeting with the Dark Lord and from what he's told me himself, he wants her in his circle. Draco suggested to her that she's been mentioned to certain families as a prize the Dark Lord may bestow. It almost sounds as though he wants a younger version of Bellatrix and Rudolphus."

Emily shivered. "That's worse than what he wants of me. There must be some way..."

"I've kept her clear so far by suggesting that she will be a Healer."

"Will she be given a choice?"

"I'd rather Nott than Malfoy, myself, but much comes down to what _he_ desires." He stopped for a moment and kissed her frown. "Enough of this for now. We have no intention of letting things get to that point. What are our arrangements for this time together, and what have you been working on in my library?"

"I can't talk about what I've been reading when we're like this. It's horrible." She shuddered. "The children are at Mum's house with the elves today, but we can either stay here together or at the flat. Either can be made ready fairly quickly."

"I think I would rather be here this week. Perhaps we should find some breakfast, you can tell me what you've been looking at in the library, and then we can retrieve our progeny."

* * *

She explained what she learned after they ate.

"A Horcrux is a sort of magical device. It's the closest way to describe it. The theory is that whenever a murder is committed, the murderer's soul splits. If he does it while using this spell, the split part can be trapped in another object and this binds the soul to an Earthly existence."

Severus asked, "And that's how he was able to come back?" Emily nodded.

He thought for a minute. "The locket, then... but what about the ring Dumbledore was wearing, and there was a diary... Emily, can a person make more than one?"

"You can make one every time you commit murder, but this book specifically recommends against it. As more are made, the murderer becomes less and less human—" Emily gasped and looked at her husband in horror.

"Yes, that's definitely happened."

They were silent in their own thoughts for a while.

"Dumbledore must have suspected the snake. He said that there would be a time when the Dark Lord is more protective of the snake. He also must have suspected something about Potter's scar—"

Emily gasped again. "He _knew_ Harry was one. I gave him that information and he made hints about it being the secret to You-Know-Who's return." When Severus looked at her, she went on. "We were apart most of that day, weren't we? Albus asked me to look over a young patient and Hagrid brought Harry to me. He was perfectly healthy except for where the curse hit him. When I probed it to see how to heal it, his eyes turned red. I almost dropped him. I couldn't find a cure, and I went later and explained it all to Albus. Do you suppose Harry knows?"

Severus looked away. "He does not. Yet another delicious little task Dumbledore left to me without really explaining the reasoning."

"What do we do?" Emily asked.

Her husband got up and stretched. "We put the books away and do nothing except watch and wait for ways to help. I wonder if the Dark Lord knows that Potter _et al_ are destroying these things. Perhaps that's why he wants me to protect the castle. One of them must be there and Potter's scar must be another.

"Somehow I must convince Potter that he must allow himself to be killed. What I need you to do, Emily, is help me organize my thoughts. I suspect that giving him some of them in a vial would be best, because he enjoyed watching my secrets in the Pensieve before so greatly. If nothing else happens, he will be intrigued and want to know what my memories would show him."

They put the books away and Severus took Emily's hands. He looked into her face and asked, "Is there a counter-spell? I think I know what's meant by having one's soul torn."

Emily pressed herself into his body, as closely as she could get. "It's not really a spell, it's remorse. You have to feel the horror of what has been done and truly regret that you have done it. Severus, you've done that. You didn't do anything out of a desire for gain, nor for reasons of your own, really. You were following the orders of a master who made that choice. Besides that, you didn't attempt to gain immortality for yourself."

Severus put his arms around his wife and held her close. "I don't need immortality if you're with me."

The child between them started moving in protest of his or her parents standing so closely together. "Ah, but we do have a form of immortality, don't we?" He tipped his wife's chin up to kiss her deeply. "How soon do we have to get our children?"

"We have time," said Emily with a funny catch in her voice.

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers debjunk, excessivelyperky, and Istani. A special thank you goes to Mark Darcy for beta reading._


	81. April

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

Hope thought of the week during Easter Holidays at Daddy's house as a temporal oasis within the war. Mum took the week off from work and they only did the sorts of things they usually did at Daddy's house. They fixed breakfast in the mornings and then enjoyed their long days together, playing or studying or practicing spells. Mum didn't participate as much as usual. She spent much of her time sitting and watching. Brendon played in their games when he could understand them.

The evenings were filled with sitting together and listening to the wireless while playing Wizard Chess or teaching Brendon Exploding Snap. Once or twice they caught _Potterwatch_. Mum's eyes would get misty as she recognized the voices. Most of the people who spoke on the show were on the run, now, and it was good to know they had survived at least this long.

Usually someone on _Potterwatch_ eventually made a nasty comment about Daddy, though. Hope watched as her father looked wryly at the wireless. Mum would get indignant and ruffle her hands through Daddy's hair and he would capture one of them and kiss it. Hope loved to see things like that. Sometimes Mum and Daddy were gross when she saw them kissing, but sometimes she caught a glimpse of what marriage could really be like. It must be such a comfort with the world going crazy.

That train of thought inevitably led to Neville and the one thing that was missing from this week. She had finally given up writing even the fake letters to him, but she still thought about him constantly. Well, she amended, she thought about him whenever she wasn't studying or staying alert to danger around her. She was angry that so much had happened to keep them apart.

During the week, Daddy decided he wanted to tame the back garden. Grandmother Eileen had kept quite a few flowers and herbs back there. Many had magical value, but some were just pleasant to look at or smell. Daddy and Hope worked together on that while Brendon chased squirrels and butterflies. It was a bittersweet task. It reminded her of Neville, but it was also a good memory she would always have of her father.

* * *

When the children were in their rooms for the night, Emily and Severus had many things to discuss.

"The Dark Lord came to Hogwarts the other night," Severus told Emily. "He wanted to do something on the grounds. When he came back, he had Dumbledore's wand."

"Are you sure?" asked Emily, aghast at what that meant had happened.

"I've seen the Headmaster use that wand most of my life. It's definitely Dumbledore's. He feels he has everything he needs now, and will concentrate fully on his pursuit of the boy."

They discussed the Horcruxes again and decided again that they would not do anything about them. "Dumbledore gave that task to Potter and his two friends," decided Severus. "My role in that task is to stay out of the way, I think." Emily agreed. Severus was doing enough as it was.

Severus discussed some additional plans he had made with his wife. "Emily, if the worst happens to me, I've made some arrangements. You need to leave England."

She whimpered and hid her head in his chest and he continued. "I know you don't want to think about it, but I cannot stand the thought of what would happen to you if he wins and I'm not here. After he takes what he wants from you, he will give you as a favor to one of the Death Eaters."

"If you're gone, I won't care anymore."

"Emily, I need you to care. Listen to me, if you don't care what happens to yourself, consider Hope. He will practically hold an auction for her. If she's lucky she'll end up with a husband, at least close to her own age, but some of the older Death Eaters have noticed her..." Emily shuddered. "And Brendon, he has great powers. The Dark Lord will be very interested in him." He moved his hand to her middle. "Emily, there's this little one, too. Promise me you'll do this for our children if not for yourself."

He lifted her head up to look at him. She couldn't look away and found herself nodding in assent. "Yes, Severus, you're right. I should have helped you plan this."

He handed her a folded parchment, sealed in wax. "If I'm killed, take these papers to Gringotts. They will allow you to access a special vault and everything you need is in there."

The final thing they discussed was which memories to give Harry Potter. Emily carried the point on this one. Severus was aghast that not a single one showed the truth of his own marriage. "Emily, there's a chance Potter will survive to tell the whole world what he learns in the Pensieve. His sense of honor would demand it. You will be a laughingstock. You and the children and how I feel now should be in at least some of these memories."

Emily was adamant. She smiled sadly, shaking her head. "The risk is too great. He has to see how it was twenty years ago without being confused by how things are now. The memories we've selected show it all, why you loved his mother so much, why you and the Marauders hated each other so much, why he should trust you, and what he needs to do. For the safety of all of us, in order to see this end, I can make such a small sacrifice. No one really knows much about me, anyway."

* * *

Much as they loved spending time all together with the children, Severus and Emily took advantage of every moment they could get alone with each other, as well. They held each other as if fused together. They kissed as if they could exchange their souls through their lips. They filled their time with the memories they would need until the end of the school year.

They made love with a passion born out of a desperate desire. They explored each other completely, committing each other's bodies to memory, touching and caressing each other until their passion rose again. They stared at each other long into the night, whispering their love and promises for the future. When they slept, they lay clasped together as tightly as the baby would allow.

Severus had to get back to the school a couple of days before the vacation ended. He kissed his children goodbye at the breakfast table, wondering with a pang when he would see his son again or even if he would. Emily walked him to the front door, holding his hand for a few last precious seconds.

"Emily, we've had a wonderful life together. I wouldn't trade our marriage for anything I ever thought I wanted or anything I could imagine wanting."

She nodded smiling.

"We were friends before then, too. I know that back then we weren't aware of each other as we are now, but our happiness since then seems to color those days backwards. I know, now, that our bond of affection goes back to the moment you first sat down next to me. By far the best part of my life is the part that has included you."

He was saying goodbye as if it were forever. A tear stole down Emily's cheek. He cupped her face in his hands, brushing at the tear with his thumb.

"I love you, Severus Snape. I trust you to take care of all your tasks and to somehow make it back to me as well."

"I love you too, Emily Snape. You know I'll come to you as soon as I can."

They kissed tenderly one last time and he went out the door. Emily watched from a window as he walked several paces down the street and then Disapparated. Rubbing at her face and eyes, and putting a smile on her face, Emily went back to the kitchen.

"All right, let's plan the rest of our weekend. Hope, what do we need to do before you go back to school?"

* * *

Sirius Black spent the spring returning to a semblance of physical fitness. He walked to the hospital to do his physical therapy and in the afternoon practiced dueling with Remus Lupin. In April, little Ted Remus Lupin was born and Remus was unable to spend as much time with Sirius.

The evenings were spent with Alison. The first few nights were awkward, until Alison reached for the picture book and they started as they had gone for the past months, going over Sirius's life. She asked him to tell her about the things she didn't know and sometimes he asked her about her life. The evening Teddy Lupin was born, after Remus left, Alison reached for the picture book, but Sirius stilled her hand. She sat back on the couch, her eyes on his face.

"Alison, this book details my first two lives." He looked like he was trying to say something important, so she nodded in encouragement. "I spent the first one in childish pranks, trying recklessly to be a hero, and taking advantage of pretty girls. I took advantage of you back then, twice if I recall, and I'm sorry."

"We all knew how much you really liked Emily Smith."

Sirius laughed. "Everyone but Emily, that is. She always insisted that I never liked her as much as I claimed to, and I think I finally understand that she was right. I wanted to possess her, but afterwards I would have been content to forget she existed.

"To continue, Alison, I spent my second life being angry at the false imprisonment and with needing to hide. I was so obsessed with clearing my name that I did something extremely foolish and was nearly killed."

He took her hand. "Emily might have saved me that night, but you have been my lifeline since that time. It's your sweet voice and kind actions that have reconnected me with myself and drawn me back to the living world." He waved to the book. "That book, Alison, is about my first two lives, and it shows how wasted they were. I'm ready to start the next book with my third life and I want it to be filled with different sorts of things. I would also like to have many pictures of you in it. Are you willing?"

Alison looked into the gray eyes and saw her wildest dreams coming true. She placed her other hand on top of the two already clasped. "I'm willing, Sirius."

* * *

_My Dearest Wife,_

_It's only a few days since I left you, but it already feels like months. We were blissfully out of things when I arrived at our house, not even taking the paper. The realities of the world have come crashing down since I got back._

_I'm not sure if you've heard, yet, about the altercation at Malfoy Manor. From what I can make out, Potter used the Dark Lord's name and tripped the trace on it. Granger tried to disguise them, but they were taken to the manor when the Snatcher gang thought it might be Potter. What happened next is unclear, but Potter managed to escape Bellatrix's clutches, along with his friends and all of the other prisoners there. It would appear that Peter Pettigrew, who has never really lived since he cheated death sixteen years ago, was found dead in a cellar at Malfoy Manor. _

_Now that it's clear that Ron Weasley is definitely with Potter, his family is being hunted. So far, none have been found, and the sister did not come back to school yesterday. The Dark Lord's rage, at being so close to the completion of his plans and having it snatched away, was terrible to behold, I hear._

_They have made a move against the Longbottoms that I fear they will yet regret. In the hopes of controlling the activities of a certain group within Hogwarts, they attempted to apprehend Augusta this morning. Augusta escaped but the Aurors did not. I understand Auror Dawlish is now a guest at your esteemed place of employment. _

_Augusta's grandson was on the train back to school but did not go to any of his classes today. I specifically asked your daughter about this. She responded with a bland expression that indicated to me that she knows where he is and is not worried about him. I warned her not to endanger him or herself by trying to help and she sighed and told me he wouldn't accept help from her, anyway._

_I miss you, Emily. I long to taste your kisses, to smell your rising desire for me, to hear your cries as we come together, to feel the depth of our passion, and to see the soft look in your eyes when we hold each other afterwards. I wish I could be with you when our child is born, to hold you as you experience your pains and to hear the first cries he or she will make. I wish I could watch you as you feed our little one for the first time, to see the light of motherhood that will surround you as you become acquainted._

_If it's possible, you know I will be there. If not, please remember my wishes for the name. I hate to commit this thought to paper, but if I cannot come to you again, please remember my directions to you. It eases my mind greatly to think that I can take care of my family in this way if I cannot do so as we would prefer._

_I love you, my Sweet Emily. Keep safe._

_Your husband,  
__Severus_

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers tibys and excessivelyperky. Thank you especially to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	82. The First of May

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place during the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Some of the italicized portions are direct quotations from the book._

Emily arrived at the hospital late in the afternoon on the first of May. She looked down the first hallway and her heart almost failed her. The line of injured and dead seemed to stretch forever. Lacking sufficient bed space, the attendants had simply placed the patients on the floor with a cushioning charm below them. Hospital workers often stepped over the bodies as they moved among them.

She was told that someone had broken into Gringotts that day and stolen something from the Lestrange vault. Harry Potter and his friends were suspected. As a result, the Death Eaters had swarmed over Diagon Alley, hexing and cursing everyone in their path. There were also patients from an altercation at Malfoy Manor, although the details of that were less clear.

As she watched, workers from the morgue came for two bodies. They told her that additional space had been made and they would come for more soon. As soon as they left, two more attendants came, levitating two more patients into the vacated spaces. Emily shook herself out of her daze and went to ask the lead Healer where to start.

Emily was well into a second shift when she straightened up and took a quick break to eat and stretch her legs again. She had been rubbing her back off and on for several hours, now. It could mean several things, but there had been too many patients for her to worry about that. The hallway was much clearer, now. The staff were starting to talk of going home to rest when a message came from Poppy Pomfrey at Hogwarts: _Preparing for battle, here. Please send attendants to remove students from school infirmary to hospital._

Emily tried to breathe, but couldn't remember how. She closed her eyes tightly and willed her husband and daughter to be safe and well even as a hard cramp made her grab a nearby railing in order not to fall down. As the first group of attendants left for the school, Emily's assistant came to her. "Your daughter is making a Floo-call to your office." Emily thanked her and moved as quickly as she could to see what Hope was calling about. The whole way she asked herself, "Why Hope and not Severus? Why Hope and not Severus?"

* * *

"_Where's Professor Snape?" shouted a girl from the Slytherin table._

"_He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk," replied Professor McGonagall, and a great cheer erupted from the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws._

Margo's eyes stung at the callous answer to her question and the school's response as her house mates bristled. McGonagall was giving further directions when a new voice suddenly issued from somewhere or nowhere. It seemed to be all around them.

"_I know you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded._

"_You have until midnight."_

Pansy Parkinson stood up and pointed to Harry, telling everyone that he was there and they should just give him up. Suddenly the entire school seemed to be facing the Slytherin Table, wands out. Fortunately McGonagall intervened before a battle could break out between students and Pansy was sent with Filch to lead the Slytherins out of the school.

Margo took advantage of the moment to sneak in a different direction. She hurried to her father's office and knelt before the fireplace. Her first attempt, to call her mother at Grandma's house, failed. The house-elves told her that everyone was at the hospital because there were so many injured and sick people there. Even Brendon was at the day-care center, which was open round the clock, now, due to the emergency circumstances. She thanked the elves and started over.

She called her mother's office and waited for several moments before her mother finally came in. Hope could tell her mother was very close to her time, now. When Hope returned to school at the end of the Easter Holidays, Mum's walk had a sort of roll to it, like a sailor just returning to land after months at sea. Today it was definitely a waddle, and her face showed signs of exhaustion and strain.

Mum smiled when she saw Hope's face, though, and asked gently, "What is it, dear?"

"Harry Potter is here, Voldemort is somewhere outside, and I can't find Daddy. McGonagall said he's gone."

Mum was instantly on edge. She knelt on hands and knees near her fireplace. "Where are you right now?"

"Daddy's office."

"That's probably the safest place in the castle. Somehow the Headmasters all protect it. Daddy will be back soon, or Harry Potter will come there. If it's Daddy, he will tell you what to do and if it's Harry, he will know where your father is and you will be able to go to him."

"How would Potter—"

Mum was puffing in between talking, now. "I don't have the energy to explain it now. Here," Mum summoned a bag from her desk drawer and looked in it before holding it to the fireplace. "If Daddy is injured, open the bag, put your hand over it, and tell it what you're facing. Several vials will be summoned to your hand and you will have to select between them for the best option. When you have found him and applied whatever seems appropriate, bring him to me. _However_ you find him, Hope, _bring him here to me_." The mother's eyes burned into the daughter's. If it turned out that she could do nothing else for her husband, Emily Snape was determined that no hands but her own would prepare him for burial.

Hope took the bag. "Mum, I'm not sure if I can. There's so much going on, here."

Mum was clutching the hearth rug in her hands and her face showed intense pain. The daughter didn't know if she had heard her, when she suddenly said, "Margo Eileen, I cannot help you right now. You are the best trained witch of your age to deal with this, perhaps better trained than some of the adults. Remember the lessons your father and I have taught you. You can protect yourself almost without thinking about it. You're very well trained in basic Healing, too. You're a strong and capable witch and you can do this."

Hope watched her mother groan and realized she must be far into labor. "Mum, should I come through and help you?"

Mum shook her head. "No, I'll be fine, here. I need you there to help your father. I trust you and I love you. Tell Daddy I love him."

"Yes, Mum, I love you, too." Hope pulled her head out of the fireplace and looked around the office, wondering what was to come and how to prepare for it.

* * *

Emily wasn't sure where the strength came from, but somehow she managed to get back on her feet and to the door of her office. Her assistant was running up the hallway. "Your last patient wants to see you."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do it. I need to get to a birthing room, almost immediately."

The assistant helped her up the stairs and onto a bed in the proper place. "He just wanted to thank you. I'll explain." She helped Emily change her clothes to a gown and then left.

The midwife scolded Emily for waiting so long to come. "You're just about ready to push," she told her. "One or two more contractions will have you ready."

"I didn't realize it was labor until the past half hour or so. I've been a bit preoccupied today," Emily answered.

The midwife smiled. "I know, dear, and you're here, now. Try to relax and let your body do its work. That seems to have worked quite well so far."

Emily breathed and panted through the next two contractions and the urge to push came suddenly and hard. "I can't wait."

"That's fine, go right ahead," said the midwife, soothingly. "You'll be done in no time, dearie. Where's your husband?"

"Trying not to get killed," said Emily, just as her body told her to take a deep breath and then bear down.

An hour later, Emily was introducing her new son to Brendon and smiling up at her mother. As the three year old chattered to the infant, her mother filled her in on the news. A battle had indeed started at Hogwarts and Poppy had sent all of her students from the school's Hospital Wing to St. Mungo's in order to make space for those who might be injured. No one believed that the school's infirmary would be able to handle all of the injured, so the hospital was preparing for the battle as well. No one knew where the Headmaster had gone.

"Mum, I know you've been upset about Severus this past year..."

"Never mind, Emily. I trust that you know better than to get taken in, even when I don't want to believe in his goodness. Today I see this precious new baby and it's hard to believe his father could ever be evil."

Emily smiled at the child in her arms and the child sitting by her side on the bed and then up at her mother. "I love you, Mum."

Healer Smith stood up. "I love you, too, Emily. I need to get back to work, now that they're going to send injured from the school here and we're down a Healer." Emily blushed and her mother leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Rest up, dear. We may need you back sooner than we would like."

"Yes, Mum." At the moment, it was nice to be someone's daughter again. Emily looked down at her youngest son and wondered where his father was and if he was safe. She hadn't officially named the baby. She knew what Severus wanted, but she would wait until he told her again now or until she had seen for herself the proof that he would never tell her. The baby fussed and rooted, so she brushed away a tear and settled him to nurse. She smiled with determination. As with the day Marcus was born, she would make the effort to be happy for her son's sake and mourn later, if need be.

* * *

"_I regret it."_

Having committed murder himself, Severus knew that this was not regret. This was the pang of discomfort one might feel at the smashing of a wand, or the blunting of a favorite Potions knife. This was not the rent soul that he had experienced the night Albus Dumbledore died. There must be barely any soul left in the Dark Lord.

He still had one task to complete. Even with his blood dripping onto the floor, Severus knew he must somehow use the restoratives Emily insisted he carry and find the boy. As he lay there, Potter and the other two appeared, having come to the shrieking shack for some reason. He must deliver the memories. He grabbed at the boy's robe.

"_Take... it... Take... it..._"

He was too weak to reach for his wand, and instead concentrated so hard that the memories Emily had helped him choose came from his eyes and ears and mouth. Fortunately the Granger girl had sense enough to conjure a vial that Harry took. With a trembling wand, Potter took the memories and guided them into Hermione's vial.

"_Look... at... me..._"

The green eyes looked into his own. They were curious, but did not accuse him. Perhaps here he saw the remorse that the Dark Lord lacked. He closed his eyes and let his hand fall. _I've done all I can, Lily. What little claim you had on me is fulfilled; the debt is now paid._

The Dark Lord gave yet another ultimatum to those he fought against and the trio finally left. Severus felt at his collar. The bleeding had slowed significantly, although he was starting to feel sensations that might be due to the snake's venom. He was able to reach the bottle of Blood-replenishing Potion in his pocket and drink it. All he could do, now, was wait.

Live or die, he was a free man, now. He had given Harry everything he could unto perhaps his last life's blood. Lily could want no more. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, he would no longer serve the Dark Lord or even any last requests Dumbledore's portrait might make. If necessary he would take Emily and the children and move to another country. His wife would never again endure the touch of that non-man and the children would be free of blood politics.

As he lay there, he saw a pair of blue eyes. They looked familiar, but he couldn't place them. He focused a little harder and saw a mop of black curls and a face that looked similar to his own, but similar to Emily's, too. The person was a boy, perhaps in his mid teens, wearing white robes.

"Father."

"Marcus!" He should have known. Severus feasted on the sight of the son he had lost so long before.

"Rest, Father, and wait. Hope is coming, Mother has sent her."

"How are you here?"

"I've always been with you. You see me now in your time of greatest need."

"I've always regretted the circumstances of your death. If I had taken better care of your mother that autumn..."

"What is ordained cannot be avoided. It has brought us to this moment." It sounded like something a centaur would say.

"I wish your mother could see you."

"She has a special way of carrying me in her heart. She sees me through that."

"Will you comfort her when I'm dead?"

"Hope is coming. You need not die if you do not wish it."

"Will you stay with me?"

"You will see me until Hope arrives."

* * *

_A/N: One of the few scenes in Gone with the Wind that's better in the movie version is the one where Scarlett goes to the hospital hoping to find a doctor to tend Melanie through childbirth and the streets are filled with wounded and dead soldiers. The picture starts with a small group and then pans out to show how vast the cost of war is. Even those who only seen previews of the movie have probably seen a bit of that scene. Obviously, there are way too few members of the Wizarding world for it to be that vast, but I can well imagine a whole hallway of St. Mungo's filled because of Death Eaters gone wild. To some extent that movie inspired my vision of the first scene in this chapter._

_There's just too much to tell about the night and morning of the battle not to have the chapters break in some fairly awkward moments. I will try to keep the updates coming so as not to make too much suspense. Thank you all for your kind attention and comments. Thank to you reviewers babington, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and Istani. As always, a special thank you goes to Trickie Woo, whose attention in beta reading, thoughts, and ideas, have been invaluable._


	83. Found

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Some of the italicized portions are direct quotes from the book._

_

* * *

_

"_You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery." _

Hope started. She hugged the bag her mother gave her to her body and looked around. That voice that filled her with dread seemed to be in the room, but as before it was from somewhere else. How her father could stand to hear it so many times in the course of his work as a spy was a question she would not try to figure out.

"_Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste._

"_Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately._

"_You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured._

"_I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you..."_

Hope sat up. She felt guilty for sitting up here when so many others were fighting, but she wasn't sure if going out to fight would be helpful. The people she wanted to fight with thought she was with the Death Eaters. They might feel the need to attack her and she would have to defend herself while worrying that real Death Eaters were attacking them.

Then again, Mum gave her the task of staying in this office until Daddy or Harry Potter came. Her first job was to find Daddy and make sure he got to Mum. She hoped he wasn't off fighting somewhere and she would have to argue with him. She hoped no one else found her here. She hoped--

The door opened and Harry Potter came in. He didn't even see her but went into the cupboard with the Pensieve in it. He removed the bowl-shaped object and put it on Daddy's desk.

She stood up. "Please, where's my father?"

Startled, Harry looked around. Seeing that it was Margo Snape, he drew his wand. "You won't prevent me from doing this. I got these memories from your father."

Tears smarted in Hope's eyes. "So you have seen him. Please, where is he? My mother insists that I bring him."

Harry looked at the young woman in confusion. She was always so self-contained but tonight she was soft and worried. It was so odd, that a man like Snape should have a devoted family while he, Harry, had to grow up with those Dursleys. The plea in her eyes softened his heart, especially in light of what he had to tell her.

"He's—well, that is—Voldemort killed him."

Hope shook her head as her knees threatened to give out. "No, no, no!"

The murderer of Dumbledore didn't deserve such compassion, but Harry had it anyway. "I'm sorry, it was that snake. Voldemort made the snake bite him. Then your father gave me these memories and then he... died."

She looked around the office with tears in her eyes and looked again. "His portrait isn't here. There must still be time. Please, where did you leave him?"

"The Shrieking Shack. You can get there by—"

"The Whomping Willow. I know."

"Do you know what's in these memories?"

Hope thought a moment, and recalled a conversation she overheard between her parents over the last vacation. She shook her head. "I really have no idea other than it might be about something Dumbledore thought you needed to know. I didn't even know that Daddy was spying on Voldemort until a year ago."

"I thought everyone knew he was a Death Eater."

"Well he's _not_, but anyway, my parents never wanted me to worry about these things until they thought I was old enough."

Harry snorted. "Sounds like Dumbledore. I was told the same thing by him, once."

They shared a grim smile.

"Thank you Harry Potter, and...good luck."

She left as Harry tipped the contents of the vial into the Pensieve.

Hope worked her way through the castle and down the front steps. She sighted the willow tree and took the most direct path. Despite the Dark Lord's directions, there were still little skirmishes that she passed along the way. She took out her wand and took a deep breath. Without thinking, she Stupified every Voldemort sympathizer that came toward her and put up a Shielding Charm between herself and the members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army.

She reached the tree and disarmed it as Daddy had shown her long ago. She had to stoop pretty low to get through the tunnel but eventually reached the end. She listened for a minute at the opening. She heard Daddy's voice, low and shaky, but still Daddy. It was a great relief, but she couldn't tell whom he spoke with.

"Your sister has been so very talented. Even with the school such a mess, she's still likely to get top marks on all her N.E.W.T.s, if they have them this year. You would be taking O.W.L.s, with similar results, I wager." There was a silence. "Is she in danger? What is keeping her?"

Hope decided to chance it. Her wand out, she slipped into the room and said, "I'm here, Daddy." He was alone. She knelt down and opened the bag.

"Ah, my Hope has come."

"Who are you talking to?"

Severus never turned his head. "I've been speaking with Marcus. He's not visible now, but he said he's always with us."

Hope didn't see anyone and wondered if Daddy's injury had made him somewhat delirious. "Harry Potter said the snake bit you. Where?"

"Neck." He was getting woozy again.

Hope opened the bag and put her hand over the opening as her mother instructed. "Snake bite." Four ampules leaped into her hand. "Daddy, stay with me, please. Asp?" There was a slight shake to his head. "Cobra?" Another shake. She read the next vial. It was a name, not a type of snake. "Nagini?"

"Yes." His voice was becoming a hiss.

Hope read the directions on the vial before she snapped it open. She needed to keep Daddy alert if she could. "Mum told me to give you her love. She couldn't come herself."

"Is she safe?"

"Yes, and Brendon, too. They're at the hospital."

In order to put the potion on the wounds, she would have to remove the high-necked collars of his shirt and coat. "Daddy, I have to cut your coat up." His neck had swollen a little and he grimaced in pain as she slid her fingertips under the fabric and started cutting with scissors from the bag, being careful not to touch the portions that appeared soaked in venom. She carefully separated the fabric from his wounds and they started bleeding again. She dabbed the puncture marks with the potion and re-dressed his neck with fresh gauze from Mum's bag. She made him take another dose of Blood-replenishing potion and that finished all she could do in that room.

Hope stoppered the ampule and packed the bag back up. Since the shack was outside of school grounds, she hoped it would be possible to Apparate. Using the technique her mother had taught her, she grasped her patient and thought, determinedly, of the staff entrance to St. Mungo's. She landed exactly where she was thinking, and managed not to Splinch either of them.

Attendants came right up to her and levitated her father. "I'm supposed to take him to my Mum, Healer Snape."

"We were told to expect you." They snickered. "This is the special patient for the Obstetric Ward, then?"

"Please, just hurry." Hope followed them into the hallway. Grandma came, then.

"What happened?"

"You-Know-Who's snake bit him. Mum had a potion in this bag..."

Grandma smiled. "I'm sure you've done quite well. You may have venom on you, though. Go up to our office, take off that robe and jumper, and wash your hands up to your elbows. You should be able to find something to change into in one of the cupboards. We've been practically living here the past two days."

"Yes, Grandma."

"Oh, and Hope, you have a new baby brother. Your mother is tired, of course, but fine."

Hope almost skipped to the office. Finally on this awful night some things were going well.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the Snape family was reunited in the Maternity Ward. Daddy was in a bed, wearing a hospital gown and Mum was dabbing at his neck again and whispering an incantation. He was looking into her eyes, smiling, but clearly not quite himself. As she finished the spell he went to sleep. Hope watched while her mother applied a new bandage to the neck and kissed his forehead. He must not have been quite asleep, because his hand reached around until it found Mum's and then he was still.

"It might have been so much worse," said Mum, with tears in her eyes. "Most of the venom went into the collar. It seeped back in after the fact, but it might have been so much worse..."

Mum was obviously exhausted but also obviously would never leave the side of her patient. Hope got her a comfortable chair to sit near Daddy and arranged the new baby's bassinet to be within arm's reach. Brendon was getting restless and Hope took his hand to quiet him down.

"Um, Mum?"

Eyelids fluttered. Mum was so tired that she could hardly stay awake. "Yes, Dear?"

"I'll take Brendon back downstairs, and then I think I need to go back to the school."

"I finally get my family in one room, reasonably out of danger, and you want to go back?" Hope wasn't sure she had ever heard her mother hiss before.

"I can help, Mum! I have all this training. I used it, finding Daddy, and it was brilliant." She smiled, remembering her path across the lawn. "I need to know, too...Neville..." She trailed off.

Emily's eyes softened. "Of course. Go find him, dear, and help him if you can." With her free hand, Emily waved her daughter over and then she kissed her tenderly. "Be careful, Hope. You are very precious to your father and me."

The girl kissed her mother's cheek, the little cheek in the bassinet, and finally her father's. Holding his hand tightly, Hope walked Brendon down to the day care center, telling him to be good for Mum and Daddy and telling him to be brave and happy. She gave him one last hug and kiss before leaving him and going to the staff entrance. She walked to the Apparation point and went back to Hogwarts.

* * *

"_He is dead!" Narcissa Malfoy called to the watchers._

The crowd cheered, and Voldemort was elated. He had finally won, unless Narcissa was lying. He looked sideways at her. It occurred to him that there was another way to check. He reached his mind to the boy, as he had done a hand's count of times before. Nothing responded; the connection was gone. The boy must truly be dead this time. He Cruciated the corpse to demonstrate his triumph.

Was it time to perform the last spell? He would be fully a man and then ready to put his other plans into action. No, someone amongst the idiots here might know what it was for and his power over them would diminish. Better to finish the job of suppressing those at the castle and then find a private moment for his other spell. Madam Snape wasn't going anywhere. The time of her confinement was too soon.

It was all within his grasp. Potter was dead, the fools at the castle would soon know their place, and in a few months time he could console a grieving widow. Since Snape was dead, he would have not just an heir, but a consort, and more heirs if he chose. Yes, there was plenty of time to perform the last spell and he would do it without having to worry about the resistance that was presently at the castle.

"_Now," said Voldemort, "we go to the castle, and show them what has become of their hero..."_

_

* * *

_

A/N: Well, of course there's the rest of the battle. Perhaps I can post some more tomorrow. Thank you very much, kind reviewers debjunk and Istani. I know many of you haven't had a chance to see either Chapter 82 or 83 as I post this, yet. Thank you again, to beta reader Mark Darcy.


	84. The Second of May

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling. This chapter takes place within the time line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows._

It was easiest to Apparate back to the Shrieking Shack and go back through the tunnel to the school grounds. Any other spot would be highly exposed. Hope knew a moment of nervous fear, but thought of Neville and turned. The place was as deserted as she had left it and she made her way through the passage to the willow tree. Moving quietly toward the school, she saw the two lines of armies facing each other near the front door.

The side closer to the school was crying. "Not Harry...how can Harry be dead?" The other side was laughing with glee and making crude remarks. "So much for the Boy Who Lived!" There was some disruption and one boy came from the school to stand between the crowds.

"Dumbledore's Army!"

She went weak with gratitude and fear at the sound of that voice. Neville was still alive, but as she got closer it appeared that he was being held. Hope couldn't hear everything that was being said, but saw the Sorting Hat as it approached, heard the laughter and jeers, and saw the flames encircling Neville's head. Her own screams sounded as loud to her as those of the crowd as she hurried forward. She had to get to him, had to do something, when suddenly many things happened at once.

An instant later, Neville was standing, free of the Binding Spells that held him, holding the Sword of Gryffindor and watching the writhing body of the snake fall to the ground. A wild thrill went through Hope as she saw the boy she'd known and loved become a triumphant hero before her eyes. This was the Lucky that had always existed in her mind, come grandly to life.

There was no time to enjoy the sight. Voldemort turned to curse Neville, but someone had put up a Shield Charm. Hope breathed a sigh of relief and tried to get to Neville as the crowd of fighting witches and wizards swept her toward the doors and into the entrance hall. She lost sight of him, but knew he would also come this way.

She was pushed to a wall, against a niche where a suit of armor once stood. She climbed onto the pedestal and watched, sending spells where she thought they would help. Finally, he was in the building. A flash of green was coming entirely too close to his head, and she called to him.

"Lucky! Watch out!"

He ducked and turned to see who had warned him. "Margo?"

"I think you have me confused with someone else," she said, holding her hand out.

"Hope, then," he said, taking her hand and stepping up next to her when she smiled.

They stood, shoulder to shoulder, hexing and cursing Death Eaters as they passed while casting Shield Charms to help the others. The crowd thinned a bit as the bulk of the combatants made their way into the Great Hall. Suddenly Hope felt herself grabbed around the middle and swept down from the pedestal. Over Neville's shoulder, she saw a flash of light hit the wall that had just been behind her, splintering the stone. Turning, Hope saw Rabastan Lestrange snarling in anger that he had missed. His brother Rodolphus was standing near him.

Hope and Neville moved into the Great Hall, continuing to cast spells as they went. They found themselves near a wall, battling several people all at once, when again Neville pulled Hope to the side, and a green light hit right next to where her head had been. Hope turned and saw Bellatrix Lestrange, who had just been joined by her husband and brother in law. She turned to thank Neville and saw a grave look in his eye. He was looking at the trio who had put his parents in the hospital, and Hope saw that they were likewise looking at the two of them.

Once again, Hope and Neville stood shoulder to shoulder, now casting hexes and curses at the three Lestranges. Death Eaters fell all around them as other battles continued. Bellatrix had an evil smile on her face as she attempted to cast the Cruciatus Curse, only to have it repelled again and again.

"Expelliarmus!" Hope and Neville cast the spell at the same time. At once, all three Lestranges were disarmed. Neville's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered the three who had so horribly hurt his parents. He was determined that they would never hurt anyone again. A special Summoning Charm came to mind and his lips moved. It was a spell Hope didn't know. A brilliant green light shot from his wand and hit the floor at the feet of Bellatrix Lestrange. Instantly, a vine started growing between and around the three Lestranges.

Bellatrix laughed. "A plant! He intends to grow us to death! His skills are exactly what we had heard, Rodolphus. Quite the credit to his family." She laughed again, shrieking with amusement, until she realized that the vine was growing and pulling snugly around her. Then her shrieks turned to rage and finally fear.

Hope realized the plant was Devil's Snare. She watched, partly in amusement and partly in horror as the fronds constricted, pulling its prisoners tighter and tighter and finally strangling them altogether. The room got quieter as one by one the Death Eaters fell or were captured. In looking around, Hope finally saw that the only battle continuing was that between Voldemort, Professors McGonagall and Slughorn, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

A howl of anger came from another side of the room as Voldemort realized one of his greatest servants was dead. His rage was drowned out by the cry of elation within the room that swelled through the crowd. Harry Potter appeared and everyone learned he had not been killed in the forest, as believed. Harry quietly indicated that all other combatants should back away, and he and Voldemort started circling each other.

Hope stood silently along with all the others as the two in the middle of the room argued and exchanged jibes. As everyone did, she held her wand out, ready to help in any way that presented itself as Potter explained some of the things that had happened. Everyone in the room listened eagerly to him explain that his mother's death and even Dumbledore's had great meaning in Voldemort's coming destruction.

Voldemort scoffed and brought up the subject of Hope's father, and those around her turned and looked at her. Even there Harry seemed to have all the answers. She, along with everyone, heard that Snape had always been Dumbledore's man, and of how her father loved Harry's mother, how Lily Evans Potter was the great love of Severus Snape's life. She heard of how her father had looked after and protected Harry to the point of putting himself in danger for the sake of that love. The moment was too important to dwell on those things, though. Hope watched, along with everyone else, as no one breathed, and the two wizards in the middle of the room cast their last spells.

Suddenly everyone was screaming for joy and hugging and kissing. Hope was pulled into Neville's arms, again, and looked into his face. This time he kissed her and time stood still. This was what she had dreamed of for so long. Neville's arms were around her, and his lips were pressed to hers. She moved closer to him, pressing herself to him and he hugged her tighter. She thought that if only they could stay this way forever, her life would be complete bliss.

Someone jostled them and the moment ended. Neville stepped away to go be part of the group mobbing Potter. Hope didn't feel as though she quite belonged. Professor Slughorn was there, but few other Slytherins were among the victors. The people whose eyes she saw seemed to pity her. Perhaps it was because she was Slytherin or perhaps it had to do with what everyone had just learned about her father. She stepped past many images that would come back to her later: Molly Weasley standing triumphantly over the body of Fenrir Greyback, Greg Goyle's father looking strangely broken, Ted Nott leaning over his dad, Sirius Black kneeling between the bodies of Professor Lupin and his wife...

She slid out of the room and into the entrance hall where she saw the spot where she and Neville had fought together, publicly friends for the first time ever. She should contact her parents and let them know what happened, assuming her father was healing properly. She should find out if Mum was really as well as she pretended to be and if Daddy would really get better.

Suddenly the truth that she had learned moments before hit her, and her eyes welled up. She sat down on the pedestal and thought about it. Both her parents had been fairly candid about the fact that Daddy had admired another woman before he married Mum. Now she knew who the other lady was, and that wasn't a problem. Both her parents had made it sound like that was all in the past, but Potter made it sound like it was still in the present.

"Hey."

"Lucky! Shouldn't you be in there?" Hope nodded to the doorway of the Great Hall while blinking her eyes quickly to dispel the tears.

"I wanted to thank you, for saving my life."

"You saved mine a couple of times. And to kill the snake like that was brilliant." The sword glinted from where he had slid it under his belt. "It almost killed my father last night. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know it's dead."

"Harry and Voldemort spoke as if your father was killed." Neville tried to say it gently.

"I found him in the Shrieking Shack and used some potions my mother gave me. Then I took him to her. He was still alive when I came back here, but very ill." In the growing daylight, she could see the burns around the crown of Neville's head and motioned him down beside her. "What was that with the Devil's Snare?"

"It's a special Summoning Charm. You add the Latin name for the plant at the end, and it has to be a plant that actually exists nearby. I didn't mean for it to kill them, just to tie them up. I didn't realize it was still so dark in the room. I was determined that they wouldn't hurt anyone ever again... perhaps my intent was too strong."

"You can't be sorry that it ended up the way it did. They might have escaped if you had not used that spell."

"That's true. I feel odd about it, though."

"You have been a great hero today, Lucky, as great as my wildest imaginings. No one will ever think of you as Sir Luckless again." He smiled at the praise as she worked on his burns. It was a bittersweet privilege, to say the charms that would heal the injuries and to apply the creams and ointments that would make the scars fade. She understood why her mother always did it for Daddy. Thinking of her parents reminded her of Daddy's true feelings as she now knew them, and she couldn't stop a tear from stealing down her cheek.

"Hope?" She looked into Neville's eyes. "What's the matter? We won. You're happy, aren't you?"

She nodded. "Oh, of course. I just can't stop thinking...all the things Harry said about my father, and what that means about Mum. All my life, they always seemed to be all over each other, so I thought—I guess it doesn't matter what I thought. I guess my Mum was just some other woman of 'purer blood'."

"Who was more worthy of him, Hope. If not more worthy, then perhaps just better suited." She shook her head, sadly, and he patted her hand. "Hope, you told me in your last letter that things aren't what they seem. You should talk to your parents and learn the full truth."

"You read that letter? I figured you must have burned it." Hope put the lid back on the jar and returned it to her pocket.

Neville looked uncomfortable. "I read it, and I've read it and re-read it whenever I couldn't figure out why your father seemed to be helping us at times." He was quiet for a moment. "Hope, I told myself I could never forgive you when I thought you were in the wrong, and now I've learned for sure that I had it wrong. The problem is I'm still not sure if I can forgive you, and I know that instead I should be asking you for forgiveness. I know that, Hope, but I can't seem to sort it out."

"It's a very long time since any of us have had any sleep. I'm sure you'll be able to find me when you do figure it out. I should get back to the hospital. My mother gave birth last night, and my father very nearly died. If it had been any other sort of night I'd be worried sick about them. They will want to know what has happened here, too." She patted his knee and stood. "Farewell, Lucky."

"Neville! I've been looking all over for you." It was Hannah Abbott, and her face shone with happiness. Neville stood and turned. He didn't leave, yet, and reached for Hope's hand.

"Hope, will you be all right?"

Putting on her ice princess demeanor, or as close as she could get with her eyes full of tears, she replied, "I told you years ago never to call me that in front of anyone. Since it's a special day, I'll let you off... this once." Margo Snape turned determinedly toward the main doors of the school and started walking, out of the castle and down to the main gate where she could Apparate.

Her parents were both sleeping when she returned to St. Mungo's. The baby was in Mum's lap; she must have fallen asleep while feeding him. Hope lifted him gently and placed him in his bassinet and then found a blanket to put over Mum. Hope noticed that her parents' hands were still clasped together. They played their parts well.

She found another chair and sat at her father's other side. She was so tired and it was so peaceful in this room. Hope put her head down on Daddy's bed, just to rest it, but was soon dozing off. As she slept, she dreamed that Daddy's hand was ruffling through her hair.

* * *

When Hope awoke, her father's hand was on her head and Mum was not in the room. From the sound of it, she was just beyond the one curtain, changing the baby's diaper. A moment later she came back around and sat again in the chair.

"You're awake," said Mum softly. She whispered sweet nothings to the baby and settled him to nurse again.

"Mum, I have to know—"

"We've heard great things about the battle, that Harry Potter was able to kill Voldemort. We've also heard great things about Margo Snape...taking on Bellatrix Lestrange of all people."

"It was Neville that beat her, you should have seen him."

"I've heard about that, too." The mother smiled with pride at her daughter.

"Mum, Harry said some things to Voldemort, right before he killed him. He said things about Daddy... and Harry's mother."

Mum smiled indulgently. "And so we come to the reason why you ran back here instead of enjoying the celebrations at Hogwarts."

"I always thought you loved each other. You told me—"

"And now that Potter describes a few things from highly edited memories your father gave him, you believe otherwise?" Mum was still smiling. "The memories did as they were supposed to do. Harry Potter needed to be absolutely convinced of your father's loyalty in order to do something incredibly difficult. The memories Daddy gave to that boy had to make him willing to walk right up to Voldemort and then to willingly die. Daddy wanted to include the parts about me that were in those memories, but I told him to keep me out of it. After everything that had come between those two, it needed to be as simple as possible."

"So you were willing to let everyone think Daddy doesn't love you?"

"Does it matter what other people think if I have Daddy right here with me? He's alive, and the trouble we have been living under our entire lives is gone. When I count you, your brothers, and your Grandma, I have everything I could possibly want."

Hope looked at her father, still sleeping. "Is he getting better?"

"I think we can safely say he will recover, but it's going quite slowly. He's woken enough to take healing potions, but hasn't become fully conscious. Maybe in a day or two he'll wake up for real. You did everything perfectly when you brought him here. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks, Mum."

"Why don't you go down to my office? There are a couple of beds made up down there and you can get some real sleep. When you come back, bring the bundle of letters you will find in my top left desk drawer."

_

* * *

_

Hope couldn't resist the opportunity to take a side trip to the Janus Thickey Ward on the way to her mother's office. Someone should tell Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom what a hero their son was. When she got close, she realized that someone had gotten there first.

"It was incredible! We stood there, facing all those Death Eaters together and it must have been a little bit like when the two of you fought together all those years ago. I feel like I know how it must have been when you were fighting against them.

"When it was all over, Hope took care of the burns and other injuries I had. She's brilliant with that sort of thing, and it turns out her family have been fighting along with us all along, just undercover because her dad was spying on Voldemort.

"Hope had to leave, but then Hannah came and there was a feast and it was wonderful. We finally got some sleep, and then I decided to come here and tell you all about it. Gran is resting, but she'll be here later today. I'll be bringing Hannah by tomorrow, and we can talk it all over again."

Hope backed away and slipped out of the ward, toward her mother's office. She shouldn't have listened. Eavesdroppers never heard what they wanted to hear. There was no reason to have hoped, no reason to even form the thought of what she should never have hoped. He would eventually forgive her, and she would forgive him, but they would be fortunate if they even reclaimed the friendship they once shared.

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry after all that to make you wait the past few days. There were some errors in this chapter that had to be fixed. Thank you to reveiwers debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and tibys. A special thank you to Mark Darcy for beta reading._


	85. Aftermath

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

Emily looked up in surprise to see her daughter back so soon. The child was clearly exhausted, but there was something burning in her eyes that kept the mother from making a comment. Instead, she took the bundle of letters that Hope brought and reached into a drawer for her diary. If she couldn't console the girl's lovesick heart, perhaps she could at least put her other concerns to rest.

"You should know," began Emily, "that I was always well aware of your Daddy's feelings for Lily. They had been friends for a couple of years before they even came to Hogwarts, and she symbolized some feminine ideal for him. She was his first real friend. I knew, from the first time I asked to study with him, that I would never take her place.

"As we got older and your father became more and more interested in the Dark Arts, Lily started nagging and fussing at him. He became friends with a group that would later all become Death Eaters. Finally Lily couldn't stand it and broke off all contact with your father. He was heartbroken, and it sank him deeper into that circle of friends."

"Why didn't Daddy join the Death Eaters then?"

"I think he had already started to rethink his interest in the Dark Arts. By seventh year he was looking at spells that would control such magic, or combat it. There was also the offer I had made to him. It became a sort of contest between us. He was under pressure to join the Death Eaters, and I was under a different sort of pressure from Sirius. We were waiting to see who held out longer."

"Daddy must have liked you an awful lot to want to keep you from doing that."

"You see? It wasn't quite like what Harry described to Voldemort, was it?"

"I guess not."

The baby fussed, and Emily rose to pick him up. She checked his diaper and sat down again to nurse him. "I've told you about the circumstances of your birth. When I realized I was pregnant I was delighted, but I was nervous about telling your father. He was shocked at first, but he was never, not for an instant, Hope, angry or upset. The shock had turned to an interest in you within minutes, and he insisted that we get married. By the next morning, he was completely devoted to you. Whatever you believe about your father and me, I want you to know how very much we both have loved you, since the time we knew of your presence in our lives... not that it was all moonbeams and rose petals between us after we got married."

Emily reached for her diary and found an entry that she showed the girl.

_20 October 1979_

...he's a besotted father, already. He is more excited by the changes in my body than I am. He spends hours studying me, trying to decide if the bulge that is our little one has moved up to my belly button, yet. He puts his face next to my belly and whispers all sorts of sweet little things to the person within me. He spends hours with his hands over the baby, waiting to feel the first kick. How could I not love a man who is so eager to be the father of my child?

Seeing the smile on the girl's face, Emily continued. "I don't know exactly what happened or why, but right before you were born he told me for the first time that he loved me."

"So everything was fine after that?"

"No, I guess I didn't quite believe it. The next year I thought I had a reason to doubt your father. I blame my doubts for the death of your brother."

"Marcus?"

Emily nodded. "I was terribly foolish and insecure."

"Mum, how did you sort it out?"

Emily came out of her thoughts. "Your father and I did a lot of talking right after then. We learned, that year, to rely upon each other. Whatever two people might _feel_, Hope, if they are determined to help one another and care for each other, they will find together a love that overwhelms any trouble that could threaten them."

Emily took the letters and started sorting through them. "Perhaps here you can find some of the proof you wish to find about the true state of your father's feelings."

* * *

Severus Snape awoke with his head clasped to his wife's bosom and his arms around her waist. One of her arms was around his shoulders, and the other hand was in his hair. It was the most comforting place in the entire world. She smelled of lavender, verbena, and a new yet familiar smell. He smelled again and realized it was milk.

"Have you died as well, or has Heaven come to Earth?" he murmured.

The hand in his hair stroked his head lovingly, and the other hand rubbed down along his back. "When you're better, it _will_ be Heaven on Earth," came the reply, along with a kiss close to his ear.

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Our son sends you his love."

Emily decided he must still be a bit delirious. She kissed his forehead. "Just rest. All is well."

"Emily." He wanted her full attention. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was completely awake and aware. "I saw Marcus. I was lying there, halfway between life and death, and I saw him. He was beautiful."

"A face like Michelangelo's David, but in color," slipped from Emily's lips as a faraway look came over her eyes. Her husband looked surprised.

"You've seen him?"

"Not exactly. I've imagined him from time to time as he would have grown up, a nose similar to yours, curly hair like Hope, brighter eyes than Brendon..."

Severus looked at his wife, considering. "He said you had a way of seeing him. He also said he loves you and that you need to stop blaming yourself. You've been a wonderful mother, and even if he only had the one day with us, it was a wonderful day."

Emily's eyes watered, but she became professional. She stood and reached into a drawer for some supplies. "How are you feeling? Is the dressing on your neck too tight?"

He let her help him to a sitting position, and then let her probe his neck with her fingertips. "I hardly notice the injury right now. I just have this exhausting ache throughout my body."

"That's not uncommon with venomous bites in general."

Emily removed the gauze to dab some more potion on the wounds and redress them. When she spoke again, it was a bit tentative. "Severus, I owe you an apology. Almost all of the venom was released into the collar of your coat, before the fangs even broke your skin. Then your shirt collar proved an excellent binding to stem the flow of blood. It would seem that being completely buttoned up has indeed saved your life. I'll never tease you about it again."

His answer was a laugh. "You must and you will tease me about it, again. It's our joke, Emily, and will be even more dear to us, now." She didn't answer and he tugged her hand. "Truly, Emily, we must enjoy this small victory." She smiled, and he released her just as a small cry was heard. Emily hastened to the bassinet.

"I notice that we are parents again. May I meet our new little one?"

Emily changed the baby's diaper and brought him to his father. "A bright and wonderful boy, Severus."

He gently took the small bundle from his wife and kissed the small forehead before looking down at his son. "Was his birth difficult on you?"

"It was fairly easy, since I didn't have time to realize I was in labor until it was almost over. There were so many patients and there was so much going on, I almost didn't notice it. I do recall wishing I had the midwife I had the last time." They exchanged a look and a memory.

Severus looked into the cheerful face, looking over the brown hair and the blue eyes that twinkled at him. "You told them Albus, as I asked?"

"Actually, I've been waiting for you."

"Have you decided upon some other name?"

"No, Severus, it's just..."

He looked into her eyes and understood. "Were you so very worried?"

"We got a message from Poppy that the battle was going to begin, and everything went through my mind at once. Hope used the Floo from your office to mine, and I was in labor so I told her what to do. The baby came quickly, and then it was hours before I heard anything. Hope finally brought you, and you were so weak."

Emily's voice trembled, and she paused for a moment to steady it. "I didn't say anything to her at the time, but I thought for hours that you had been brought here just so that I could ease your way from this life. You seemed so happy to be with me that I contented myself with that. I couldn't commit to anything else at the time."

The blue eyes stopped twinkling, and the little mouth started pursing. Severus handed the baby back to Emily. "I believe he wants you at the moment." Emily sat down in a chair and fed the baby while the child's father looked on in satisfaction.

"Now you can tell me what's been happening out in the world. Clearly the Dark Lord must not have won or you would have taken the children and disappeared."

A stern look met a mutinous one before Emily answered. "Voldemort has been defeated. Your daughter returned to the school after bringing you here, and arrived in time to see Neville Longbottom destroy the snake."

"How very gratifying."

"I thought so. From what I've pieced together, your memories convinced Harry Potter to walk, by himself, into the forest and allow Voldemort to kill him."

"I hope Dumbledore is happy, sacrificing the boy like that."

"Well, it would appear that it only destroyed the Horcrux, because Potter showed back up just in time to destroy Voldemort once and for all."

"And so it's all over." Emily nodded and Severus thought for a few minutes. "Hope went back?" There was just a bit of accusation in his voice.

"I couldn't keep her. She was wild to be with Neville. She went back and saw him kill the snake and then they somehow fought together until the very end. She's perfectly fine," Emily hastened to add when she saw the look crossing her husband's face, "just a bit worn down. I sent her to Mum's house to rest, but I don't know how much good it will do. Neville is friends with her again, but not interested otherwise, and she believed Potter's story about the love of your life."

"Where would she hear that?"

"Everyone is talking about it. Potter made sure Voldemort knew all about your true allegiances, as Potter understood them. There was quite an audience, including our daughter, so now the entire Wizarding world knows of your great passion for Lily Evans."

"Emily, I knew I should have added something else to those memories."

"The memories worked perfectly as they were, Severus. Who is to say what even a small difference would have done?"

"I don't want my family hurt by it."

"It will blow over. I think you might find an opportunity to discuss it with our daughter, though." Albus detached himself and lay in his mother's arms, looking toward her face. Emily looked down and laughed. "With those eyes, it would be hard to choose a different name for you, young man."

She held the baby to her shoulder to bring up a bubble and then looked contentedly down as he went to sleep. She put him down for his nap and accepted the invitation in Severus's eyes to join him on the bed. This time he held her to his chest, seeing that she was weary. "One last thing, before you rest, my love."

She could hear his voice rumble through his chest and into her own body. It was pure joy. She hummed in response.

He asked, "How did I end up a patient in the Maternity Ward?"

Emily lifted her head and smiled into her husband's eyes. "Well, the hospital _is_ crowded, and I wanted you near me... and not many would think to look for you here."

"Is anyone looking for me?"

"So far only Rita Skeeter and her ilk, according to Mum. They want the details of your star-crossed love affair."

"More troubles for you, I fear."

"Not when I can hold you in my arms, alive and nearly whole. Nothing compares."

He held her and pondered everything as he kissed her hair and held her dear form in his arms. Weary as she was, she fell asleep quickly. Tired as he was from the slight exertion of waking and talking, he followed soon after.

_A/N: There's a bit more to come. Thank you to reviewers angstycryingbaby47, babington, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and tibys. A very special thank you to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	86. A Visit

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

Two days after Severus first woke, a pair of wizards walked into St. Mungo's and asked the information desk how to find one of the Healers there. The volunteer working at the desk was star struck by the younger man and blown over by the charm of the elder. She had been given strict instructions not to divulge the location of this Healer. She was helpless in the face of such flirtatious charm and gave the information requested, anyway. The two made their way to the Maternity ward as the volunteer picked up a circular to fan herself.

The wizards stood in the doorway unnoticed and watched the couple sitting together on the bed. The wizard was wearing a finely made nightshirt that was definitely not hospital issue, and the witch was dressed in Healer's robes. They were cuddled together like lovers, whispering to each other and kissing. The wizard tried to trail kisses down the neckline of the witch's robe, but she protested.

"Severus, stop! We're on each other's 'don't' lists for several weeks, yet."

"I think you're just trying to torture me," was the response as he slid a hand around her back and tried to pull her closer. She giggled with laughter.

The elder wizard standing by the door cleared his throat. "I saw about as much of this as I liked at your wedding and then at Order meetings, you know."

The two on the bed looked up at the amused face of Sirius Black and the agape face of Harry Potter. Emily got off the bed, straightened her robe, and smoothed the bedclothes over her husband. "Mr. Potter! I assume you're here for our long-standing appointment." Before the boy could answer, a cry issued from the bassinet. "Ah, I'm sorry, I have a previous engagement for just a few minutes. Severus, you'll entertain our guests while I attend to the baby, won't you?" Emily took the baby and moved to the curtained area where she was supposedly the patient.

Sirius walked into the room and sat in a chair near Severus. He looked more like his youthful self than at any time since being sentenced to Azkaban. "Snape."

"Black." They sized each other up. For the moment, they chose to leave it at that. The man sitting on the bed looked toward his other guest.

"Well, Potter, are you going to join us, or have you taken up a calling as fly-catcher? Shut your mouth and come sit down."

"Oh, yes, sir. I'm sorry—I didn't expect to see—"

"The loyal servant of your mother behaving so uxoriously?"

"I thought, well, I had the impression, from your memories..." Harry put a flask of silvery gray strands on a table and finally sat down.

Sirius sighed. "Your memories were quite convincing, Snape. If I hadn't seen you two together all these years and if I didn't believe Emily..." He shrugged and let it go.

"Hope, are you still over there?" Snape's daughter came around the curtain and moved toward the bed.

"Is there something you wanted, Daddy?"

"I want you to sit right here by me. I don't want to have to tell this story more than once."

"Yes, Daddy." She pulled a chair close to her father's bed and he took her hand within his.

"The simple truth, Potter, is that the memories I gave to you did not tell everything."

"But the Patronus..."

"_Expecto Patronem!"_ A silvery tiger sprung from his wand and prowled the room before wandering out the door and down the hall..

"But if that's your Patronus—"

"I have one perfect memory involving your mother, Potter. I was dancing with her at a wedding. For once in our friendship, she wasn't nagging me, or complaining about my friends. She was complimenting me upon the day, on my appearance... and upon my bride. I remembered that moment whenever I cast the doe Patronus.

"It wouldn't work today. As Lily and I danced, I caught a glimpse of your godfather, here, dancing with my wife and admiring her. It should have been an irritation, but I knew nothing could come of it. Since he's standing here, my memory would concentrate on recalling which wizard had the honeymoon with Emily." He looked toward the curtain and smiled. "Since any duty I had to your parents is now completed, I doubt I will ever cast the doe Patronus again."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Severus pondered how to properly explain it all.

"When I was young, I thought Lily Evans was everything a girl, and later a woman, should be. Emily Smith used to twit me about the goddess who lived only in my mind, and she was right. A mere mortal couldn't love Lily. He must obey her... or suffer the consequences. I obeyed to the extent I could, but it was never good enough, so I suffered." He sighed.

"Yet I loved her anyway, Potter. Emily Smith stood by me and in seventh year made the dare that kept me from becoming a Death Eater. As long as she held her end I must hold mine. So we finished seventh year, both of us wanting the other to keep their side of the bargain, because neither really wanted to succumb to our other choices.

Snape looked again at his daughter, and her face showed that she already knew this story. "A night came when, in order to preserve my dignity, and in order to keep me from doing something rash, Emily told me your parents would be married the next day. She held me in her arms and comforted me. I should be ashamed, but I took advantage of her comfort that night and all the next day." He motioned toward his water glass and Hope handed it to him. He took a sip and returned the glass.

"I was deeply involved by the end of that day, but I could not admit it to myself. I told myself I wouldn't trespass upon Emily's hospitality any longer, and that this was just a momentary lapse in what I felt for your mother. I left, determined to forget the entire experience.

"I failed completely. Within three weeks I was completely miserable, and I determined that we should Obliviate ourselves. She heard me out, and told me that it was fine if I chose to do that, but she could not. She then told me about the child we had conceived." The two visitors looked at Hope, but she and her father were looking at each other. Severus's voice softened. "Out of the disaster that was my life, Emily gave me this precious gift. We married a week later. For most of the next year the woman who loved me watched as I gave my affections to another man's wife. Months later she protected my dignity by finding a private time to tell me that the one I loved was pregnant. She then comforted me, as only she can.

"It was during that time that I first met the Dark Lord face to face. He learned the nature of the Vow Emily and I had made and agreed I could not be a Death Eater. He read me completely and saw that I was very much enamored with your mother, and yet, even he doubted my feelings there. He sent me away with the warning that when next we met I would become his servant.

"As her time approached, Emily started to suffer from the stress of her pregnancy becoming difficult. It was made worse by the stress of having a husband who didn't appreciate her. She had terrible headaches and other symptoms that she hid from me. One day it overcame her and she was brought here. I was was forced to face what my neglect had done. Our mothers stood vigil over her, trying to redeem my error, and it was all I could do to kiss her and leave the room to collect myself.

"Lily happened by and commented on some exchange of words the two had earlier in the day. Suddenly, Potter, I saw your mother as she was. Lovely and good, but she had a sharp tongue and was quite critical of anyone who didn't measure up to her standards... not unlike Petunia actually."

Sirius chuckled. "Yes, she could be like that."

"For once I was able to tell Lily what I really thought and I went back into the room that contained my whole world. I took my wife into my arms and told her I loved her. From that moment her condition improved and our Hope came to us at dawn.

"My admiration for your mother found its proper place in my heart after that, Potter. The only friend of my early childhood, absolutely, and a beautiful example of womanhood, definitely. She was no longer a goddess, and never again the dearest creature in my world.

"To finish the story, Potter, I ended up the servant of both the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, although it was for Dumbledore that I truly worked. He told me to give what I knew of the prophecy to the Dark Lord, hoping it would protect the seer whom I now know was Sibyll Trelawney and prevent him from learning the full prophecy.

"When the Dark Lord learned of your birth and decided to destroy your family, he read my thoughts again. He found my horror, interpreting it as a desire that he save your mother. He chose to allow her to live as a reward to me. He had reasons for thinking that would work well with his other plans. You know what happened. Your mother made a choice of her own and the true nature of the prophecy was set in motion.

"Potter, I regret telling about the prophecy as much as anything I've ever done, just as much as I regret the events on the Astronomy Tower a year ago. I never would have done either without Dumbledore's insistence. I could never have recovered from either event, nor several others in the intervening years, without the love and comfort my wife and I share."

Emily walked in during the pause that came, her face very pink. She handed the baby to Severus. "I think he wants someone to talk to him for a while, and I should examine Mr. Potter so that he's not waiting around here all day."

"Don't be too long," said her husband.

"Not at all," she answered.

He pulled her down and kissed her, in front of all in the room. When he released her, the blush on her cheeks was closer to red. She cast her eyes to the floor, but all could see the smile on her lips. "Come along, Mr. Potter. I'm sure you want to get this over with." With that she swept the young man out of the room and down the hallway.

"So what is the memory that you use for your usual Patronus?" asked Sirius.

"It would be ungentlemanly to describe it," responded Severus. "I showed the old voyeur, but I'm not going to tell you... especially not you." He glared at the other wizard.

"About that," said Sirius, "you should know that I'm not interested anymore. Well, I'll always be interested, but not in the same way at all. Your wife set me up, you know, back when I was lying helpless on the fourth floor. I've fallen in love, real love, with a wonderful woman who appreciates my wilder side. Her name is Alison and she's one of the volunteers here. We will be married as soon as I formally get my name cleared with the Ministry."

"I should congratulate you, but perhaps I should congratulate myself. It will be a pleasure not to have you sniffing around my wife at every turn, Padfoot."

Black had the sense to look embarrassed. "There were times I truly didn't think you were looking out for her. I should have realized that you were keeping better tabs on things than that. How did you keep her out of Voldemort's clutches?"

"The first time, she was pregnant and he didn't want to do anything that might harm a future Death Eater. When he returned, he was physically unable to carry out that particular plan, although not many knew about it. He intended to kill Potter and then there was a spell that he thought would return him to full humanity. I made plans to get Emily and the children out of the country and well hidden if that ever happened."

"You thought of everything."

"I had to think of everything. I couldn't afford the sort of disasters you blundered into. The cost to my loved ones was too great."

Sirius was left to think about that as his host started talking quietly to the newborn. The daughter requested and received permission to leave and study. No mention had been made of N.E.W.T. testing, but the girl wanted to be ready when the exams were given. After she left, it was quiet for several minutes.

"The thing is, Snape, I owe you an apology, a great many apologies, actually."

The wizard on the bed turned from looking lovingly at his son to looking impassively at the wizard sitting in the chair. "Indeed?"

"Years ago I did something that could have gotten you killed, and I've spent the rest of our acquaintance baiting you and indulging in endless conflicts with you. I'm not sure we could ever have been friends, but we might have worked more peacefully and to better effect if I had been less of a jerk."

"That's quite noble of you, Black. I admit that there were times I might have acted differently, too."

"Can we bury the hatchet for real, this time, as Dumbledore wanted us to do a few years ago?"

Severus held out his hand and they shook, warily. Then he had a question of his own. "I wonder... since you were there, could you tell me what the battle at the school was really like?"

* * *

"All right, Mr. Potter, let's get started. How did you know to come?"

"Dumbledore's portrait. This morning he said that you would be expecting me now that it was all over. Sirius said he wanted to see you, too."

"I don't suppose you remember the last time you had a full check up."

"Well, Madam Pomfrey looks me over whenever I have to go to the Hospital Wing."

"Poppy does look the students over pretty carefully, but she probably hasn't done a full evaluation." Emily handed the young man a gown and left the room for a few minutes. When she returned, he was sitting on the table, looking a bit dejected by his state of dress. The Healer smiled kindly at the boy and began her exam.

"Did you know my Mum?"

"Not as well as my husband knew her, of course, but we were students together at Hogwarts, and we both studied with Severus, of course. Then we were both trainees together here. Your mum examined me and confirmed that I was pregnant with my daughter."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, and I returned the favor when she discovered she was pregnant with you. In fact, she asked me to act as midwife when you were born."

"You were there when I was born?"

Emily smiled fondly at the memory. "You never saw such an event. I banished the others out to the waiting room, so that your mum could have some peace and quiet. Your dad was quite enough excitement for one small birthing room. Once I got James under control, Lily did beautifully. I bathed you and wrapped you up and then gave you to your father. He brought you over to your mother and the three of you became a family. The assistant and I left the room to give you some privacy and then those overgrown boys mobbed me. They were all so delighted..."

Emily came back to herself, and healed some cuts and bruises she found. "You were living on the run for a long time, and you haven't caught back up with your diet yet."

"No, ma'am."

"Are you getting enough to eat right now?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very good. I'm going to do something now that may hurt." Emily started probing the scar on Harry's forehead, looking into his face to see if there was a reaction. When there was none, she asked, "Have you noticed a change in the way your scar feels?"

"It doesn't hurt at all, even the dull ache it once had."

"I looked at it once before, and realized it wouldn't properly heal as it was. Now it seems that it will. The magic that made it is now gone. If you like, I have a cream that will remove it entirely."

Harry thought for a minute or two. "I don't think so. It's part of who I am, and part of what people expect from me, isn't it?"

Healer Snape smiled. "That's just what your parents would say. You can change your mind later if you like."

Harry smiled back and realized something she said. "You've looked at my scar before?"

"Dumbledore had Hagrid bring you to me the day after you received it. That was when he arranged for me to look you over again in the event that it was all over. I think that Dumbledore has known your scar was a Horcrux from the very beginning."

"So he always wanted me to go out and let Voldemort kill me?"

"Actually, from the reading I've been doing, I think Dumbledore always hoped that when Voldemort hit the Horcrux with fatal power it would break the Horcrux, just as actually happened."

"What happened after you examined me?"

"I wrapped you back up and sent you on your way with Hagrid. That was my part to play."

"That was it?"

"Actually, before I gave you back to Hagrid, I did this." Emily stood the boy up and took him into her arms, crooning words of comfort up into his ear, and rubbing his back. For Harry it was the echo of a long lost memory, and he allowed the tears he had saved up for so many months to come up and flow. When he was done, he felt refreshed.

"How did you know to do that?"

Healer Snape smiled kindly. "Your mother and I were young mothers together, along with being trainees. She and your father had to go into hiding not long after you were born, but we had a chance to do a few things together."

The Healer asked some rather embarrassing questions next. She finally declared him perfectly fit for a young man his age, except that he could stand to eat a bit more. She let him get dressed and then walked him back to his godfather. "Mrs—Healer Snape? Do you want me to tell people the truth about Professor Snape?"

"Thank you for offering, but I don't think that will be necessary unless you are asked a specific question. The less it's brought up, the better."

"But people will think—"

"People think all sorts of things all the time. Surely you've experienced that by now. Those who see how my husband and I are together may form their own opinions, and that's where we shall have to leave it."

_A/N: Thank you to reviewers debjunk, Istani, and tibys. A very special thanks to beta reader Mark Darcy. I see that this story has been added to the Romantic Cafe C2. Thanks to those folks, too._


	87. Resolving Issues

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

A week after the final battle at Hogwarts, Healer Snape was allowing her one patient to get up and move around his room as long as he got right back into bed within a few minutes. He hated the exposure of even his own nightshirts and dressing gowns, so she allowed him to dress in robes in the mornings.

Severus Snape was thus well prepared to receive visitors when the recently named Minister Shacklebolt and Auror Dawlish arrived to question him, along with Percy Weasley. Emily sent Hope away with Brendon, but helped her husband to a chair near the bed. She glared at the officials, and stood before them like an avenging angel.

"You will not upset him or overtire him. He very nearly died, protecting all of the people and secrets he was obligated to protect. He's been very weak, and a major strain could injure him."

"We just have some questions, Healer Snape," said Kingsley in his most soothing voice.

"Don't try to calm, me, Minister! You can't know what it's like, having to worry about my family all these years and all the different ways they could be threatened—"

"Many of us know exactly what it was like, Mrs. Snape," Percy interjected.

Emily looked up and then over at her husband before sitting limply in a chair near him. He took her hand and kissed it. "Some families have suffered losses worse than anything that has happened to us," he murmured.

Emily was embarrassed into silence.

"Speaking openly," started the Minister, "there are several things the Ministry cannot resolve about the person of Severus Snape. The question is whether he is a murderous traitor, or a spy who worked on Dumbledore's behalf until the very end." He held up his hand as he saw Emily's mouth open. "No one is deciding the answer to that question, today. Right now, we would just like the answers to a few questions, just to see if we can clarify a few points."

"I'll answer what I can."

"That's all we want right now. So, Professor, I found it curious that whenever asked if you had been to your mother-in-law's house, your wife always stated that it was protected against Death Eaters. I have checked Auror Moody's spells, and found them to be intact even to this day. However, during the past year, I have observed you entering that very house, myself. Healer Snape, when asked directly by Mr. Weasley, here, did not give a direct answer. Severus, are you in fact a Death Eater?"

Severus looked at Emily, who shrugged. He rolled up his left sleeve. "It's lightened considerably in the past week, but you should be able to see it's not the same as the Dark Mark."

"No, it's not. Why are you different?"

"There was a vow between my wife and myself. The result was that I could not become a Death Eater. The Dark Lord was insistent, however. After my mother was killed and we met with Dumbledore, I entered Voldemort's service, but as Dumbledore's spy."

"Your wife would not release you from the vow?"

"It was an Unbreakable Vow, and she could no more release me than you can."

"I see. So the crimes you've been personally accused of, such as providing information on the prophecy that eventually resulted in the death of the Potters, killing Dumbledore...?"

"The Dark Lord wanted me to do all of those things, and Dumbledore himself encouraged them."

Kingsley proceed to ask Severus the details of many specific events. After a while Emily saw that her husband was starting to slouch in his chair.

"Kingsley, he's still quite weak. Please, can't you continue this another time?"

The Minister agreed.

Dawlish commented, "Of course, it would be easiest if he came to the Ministry."

Emily bristled and stood. "As his personal Healer, I couldn't allow that. He cannot leave this hospital until I'm convinced of his wellbeing."

Kingsley gave Emily a look. "I get your point, Healer Snape. Be assured that we will make every effort to prove your husband's innocence, if it can be done. Many people want to see Severus rewarded as a hero. The Ministry will be in a bad spot if the evidence proves otherwise."

Kingsley, Dawlish, and Weasley left. Emily slumped back into her chair, her hand over her face. Severus reached for her other hand. "Your mother and midwife stopped by when you went outside with Brendon."

"Did they?"

"Margo is worried. You're not recovering from the baby as you should."

"Every woman is different, and it's only been a week."

"They say you're bleeding too much, and that it's from overexertion. Your mum says you were working too hard even before the birth."

"Funny how Voldemort wouldn't postpone his war for my convenience. It's been a trying week, and it's really not that bad."

"Emily, look at me." She looked up and he smiled at her. "Your mother, who loves you and wants what's best for you, has told me that if you don't rest more, she will have to take you to her house and put you into the care of the house-elves."

Emily shuddered. "It would be months before they let me go, and I wouldn't be able to watch out for you," she whispered. "They treat me as if I were still six years old."

"You don't need to watch out for me."

"Did you hear Dawlish? They want you in Ministry custody. Severus, you're staying in this hospital until you're free and clear or, or—"

"Or until they've decided I'm guilty?"

The anguish on her face was his mute answer.

"Is there anything that needs doing this afternoon?"

"Not until the baby wakes."

"Why don't we rest until then?"

"Because I have to—"

"You just told me that you don't have to do anything, Emily, but look after your patient. That patient demands to rest within the arms of his Healer." As he spoke, Severus stood and walked to the bed with Emily at his side. He pulled her onto the bed with him. After getting comfortable, he plied her with gentle kisses and whispered endearments until they both fell asleep.

* * *

"Hope?"

At the sound of his voice, she mangled the plant she was attempting to transplant. She turned and looked at the object of her affection. He was healed from the injuries of the battle. He seemed taller, somehow, and more manly. Being a hero agreed with him. "Neville! You look good."

He blushed and suddenly he was Lucky, again. He reached for the plant she was destroying and deftly put it to rights. "Thank you. I've been doing a lot this week. I've been thinking a lot, too. You were right, Hope. I just needed time to think it out. I owe you a huge apology, and your whole family a debt of gratitude. The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that your dad was looking for ways to help us without being too obvious to the other teachers. Will you forgive me?"

Hope smiled. "Of course, Lucky. I forgive you. I—Well, you're my best friend and I know you just didn't understand."

He held her shoulders and kissed her hair. "You're the best, Hope."

She smiled, with stars in her eyes. He turned and took the next planting that needed to be potted. "I've gotten an apprenticeship, a really good one. I'll spend the next year here, then off on expedition to see different plants in their native environments. Then it's another year here and after that I can get a teaching job somewhere, perhaps Hogwarts. The best part is that they'll take me in anticipation of my N.E.W.T. scores."

"That's wonderful news!"

"Have you decided on your course of study, yet?"

"I'd rather do the Aurors, but they haven't taken applications, yet. They have so much to sort through. I may start here in the Healer training program for the short term. The Aurors will appreciate the extra training, and if they don't want me I want to be a Healer, anyway."

"I can't imagine them not wanting you. People are talking about the way you walked from the school to the willow tree that night."

"I didn't even really think about it. I just had to get to Daddy."

"I'll be very surprised if they don't beg you to join."

"You're very kind." They smiled into each other's eyes.

"Neville? Are you up here? I hope you're not getting muddy." It was Hannah.

Hope quickly used a cleaning charm to remove a smudge of dirt from Neville's shirt collar. He whispered his thanks and then asked aloud, "So, can we study together for N.E.W.T.s? We can even do it in public, now."

Hope smiled. "I'd like that."

Neville smiled back and left with his girlfriend. Hope allowed her face to settle into an expression more indicative of her feelings. Hannah was perfectly fine, as far as that went. Why Neville had to pick her, though, was something Hope wished she understood. Clearly it was time to try to forget him and move on, however one accomplished _that_.

Hannah sighed as Neville took her hand. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, and she didn't hear anything that would make her worry, exactly. Something about the friendship between Neville and Margo always bothered her, though. They always spoke with a closeness Hannah never thought she would have with Neville. She had long since given up talking to him about it, though. Somehow she always came out wrong.

* * *

The summer after Voldemort's defeat wore on, and the Snape family developed a pattern to their days. Emily watched over the improvement of her husband's condition jealously. The Minister and an Auror came on a weekly basis, to question Severus about various events in which he played a part. Emily bristled as they arrived, but realized that if she resisted too hard, they might take him to the Ministry.

The days filled with more than official business. Several times per week, some member of the Order of the Phoenix or other came to visit, too. Those visits were quite awkward at first, involving embarrassed apologizes on both sides, but over the course of the next month they became something to which the Snapes looked forward.

One week, Kingsley came a second time, along with Harry Potter.

"Minister, I must protest! Once per week of your questioning is quite taxing enough for my patient."

Kingsley's eyes twinkled. "Relax, Emily. We're here to see Margo, and you and the professor because you are her parents."

"Oh."

The Snapes' daughter was fetched from the greenhouses and came to her father's room. She was greeted by the assembled group. "You called for me, Mum?"

"Actually, the Minister and Harry, here, wanted to see you."

Kingsley cleared his throat. "On the night of the final battle, Miss Snape, I personally witnessed your march across the lawn from one of the towers. Your nerve, unflinching action, and accuracy were quite impressive. I did not watch you during the events in the Great Hall, being otherwise occupied.

"I have heard about that from others, including Neville Longbottom, who says you fought alongside him and have been a help to him for several years. Clearly you have great native talent--" This with a nod to the girl's parents. "--and you have received excellent training. In short, we are looking for people of your caliber to become Aurors. You in particular appear to be suitable to be one of the lead Aurors as we rebuild the division. Are you interested in joining us, Miss Snape?"

Emily watched her daughter smile brightly for the first time in weeks. "I'm very interested."

"We will start training at the beginning of July. Can you be ready?" Harry asked.

Margo looked at her parents, who both nodded to her. "Yes, I'll be there." She walked the two wizards down to the visitor's entrance of the hospital, as her parents sat together.

"I knew she was thinking of the Aurors, but I've been telling the Dark Lord, all this time, that she wanted to be a Healer, like you," said Severus.

Emily shrugged. "Perhaps that was just as well. Wouldn't he have demanded to put his Mark on her if he knew she wanted to be an Auror and had so many of those skills? She'll be working with Harry Potter and his friends..." It was the only thing of concern to Emily.

"If they're all willing to move past House rivalries, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

* * *

One week in mid- June, Severus found that his wife had several Healers looking him over. On one evening he finally had enough.

"Emily, why have I been checked and re-checked so many times? I'm tired of it all."

Emily gave him a mysterious smile. "I just wanted my assessments to be verified. I saw the midwife, today, too."

"Are you telling me—"

"We'll talk after dinner."

Dinner came and they ate, but Severus couldn't get certain possibilities off of his mind. "Comfortable as we have been in this room, Emily, I cannot imagine..."

Emily looked up with a secretive smile. "Severus, finish your dinner and then we'll see what happens."

When he promised he couldn't eat any more, she stood and took his hand. They walked through the corridors of the hospital until they were in a hallway Severus had never seen before. Emily stopped before a statue of a Healer surrounded by children. She patted the head on one of the children, and a door appeared and opened to them. When they entered, they found themselves in a room that looked very much like the bedroom of Emily's flat.

"What is this?" asked Severus.

"It's similar to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. There are reasons why some patients need to be in rooms with flexible characteristics."

"Do I need such a room?"

"Your personal Healer seems to think so," said Emily. She put her arms around her husband's neck, and drew his head down for a long kiss. "We have the use of this room for the next several hours. Brendon and Albus are with my mother until Albus's next scheduled feeding."

"We're both healthy enough?"

"Yes, it's time, Severus. We don't have to wait any longer." She tugged his lips back down to her own. "Oh, I want to be with you, again."

She unfastened her robe and dropped it to the floor. She stood there, wearing not the skirt and blouse that she usually wore to work, but a lacy negligee. Her figure still showed signs of having recently given birth but her husband groaned and pulled her into his arms. They kissed as they undressed each other, moving slowly closer to the bed.

They explored and caressed until they couldn't wait any longer, coming together with an unsurprising intensity that delighted both. They enjoyed each other in the afterglow of that delight as their bodies cooled.

"It _is_ Heaven on Earth," said Emily, wriggling to get further into her husband's arms, as if such a thing were possible. "I've worried so much, since before you were injured."

"It's what I always hoped, but scarcely believed at times, myself," answered her husband. He slid his wrist down to the small of her back as if to draw her closer yet, searching for her lips.

"Again?" Her voice was tinged with amusement.

"By my calculations, it's been almost three months, Emily."

"Do you feel all right? Any muscle aches or tiredness?"

"Just one ache right now," he answered as his lips trailed down her neck and lower.

"Oh, I seem to have a similar ah... ache." Emily's voice started to get squeaky.

"I have just the potion for you," he answered, his fingers finding a rather ticklish spot to caress.

"I love that potion," she whispered as her hands began their own exploration.

_A/N: As you can see, there's a bit more story to tell. Thank you for hanging in there! Thanks to reviewers angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, and Istani. A very special thanks (and Happy Birthday!) to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	88. Resolved

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

Hope arrived at the appointed place and time for Auror training. She was met with some surprised and unfriendly stares. The other trainees had arranged themselves loosely by school house. She found herself to be the only Slytherin among Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and a couple of Ravenclaws. She stood quietly and looked each person in the eye as they stared at her.

"Are you sure you're in the right place, Snape?" asked Ron Weasley.

"This is Auror training, right?" she asked.

"She's in the right place," said Harry Potter. "After watching her at the battle, Kingsley Shacklebolt recruited her himself."

Katie Bell walked up. "But her family—"

Harry interrupted. "Was proven to be faithful to the Order of the Phoenix all along. Several of you were protected by her shield charms during the battle; don't you remember?"

"She any good?" asked Dean Thomas.

"Better than most of us," answered Ernie Macmillan. Margo flashed her cousin a smile.

She cleared her throat. "I'm here to train, just like everyone else. If I'm not right for it, I'll wash out, but if I fit in, I mean to do the job."

During the first few days of training, the instructors spent several hours each day having the trainees spar with each other. They started by sparring with random partners, but the instructors watched the duels, and slowly matched the students by ability. Within a couple of days, Margo Snape was dueling with Harry Potter. Their styles were very different. She had developed the graceful movements taught by her father. He had a less polished but highly affective approach, developed through his experience. They were evenly matched, though, and the instructors eventually declared it a draw.

As they walked to lunch that day, Harry pulled Margo aside. "That was excellent! I wonder if you can show me some of your spells."

Margo smiled and responded, "I would be happy to, as long as you show me some of yours."

He looked a little serious. "It's too bad we never invited you into Dumbledore's Army."

"I would have loved to join," she said wistfully, "but I understand that house loyalties were more important in those days."

"Not anymore," he stated emphatically.

As the summer wound down, Margo was accepted more and more by the Auror trainees in general. She worked hard, helped the others when appropriate, and did not try to show off or brag about anything. When things were difficult for her, she humbly asked for the help of the others. Best of all, when the time came to study for the finally scheduled N.E.W.T.s, she was generous with the assistance she gave in studying. By Halloween even Ron Weasley was heard to regret that she had never been part of the DA during their school years.

* * *

Early Autumn came, and Severus became increasingly testy in his surroundings. Emily had started working with some of the recovering injured in July, and Hope had started her training at the same time. Severus was a prisoner at St. Mungo's, although admittedly a much happier prisoner than he would be in a Ministry holding cell.

Severus couldn't come and go from the hospital, due to Emily's fear that he would be arrested. They were able to spend hours at a time together in the room that by turns resembled the bedroom at Emily's flat, the bedroom at Severus's house, every room they had used at Hogwarts, or any place else they desired. Emily did what she could for Severus by bringing him the periodicals and books he read to keep up with magical innovations. It was not wholly unpleasant, but it chafed.

Finally, in late August, Severus was summoned to a first floor conference room to face several members of the Wizengamot, Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, the remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix, and several members of the press. Clearly, those who would decide his fate had reached their conclusion. Suddenly, Severus felt light-headed. He wondered whether he was completely healed yet. Emily refused to take the seat she was offered, and instead held her husband's hand. The light-headed feeling passed, and Severus knew that he and his wife would manage whatever came to them.

"I have a statement to read," said Minister Shacklebolt, "and if there are any questions, I will answer them afterwards." He took a drink of water, cleared his throat, and began.

"On the matter of Severus Snape's activities during the decades long conflict now known as the Voldemort Wars, the Wizengamot has investigated. Friends, acquaintances, comrades, enemies and other witnesses have been deposed. Evidence has been carefully researched and assessed. Finally, Professor Snape's own statements were exhaustively taken and reviewed.

"Several things have come to light during this investigation. The first is that Severus Snape never took the vow of Death Eater, although Voldemort intended for him to do so. When Mr. Snape was compelled to become a servant of Voldemort by threats to his own life and that of his family, he did so only after becoming a spy on behalf of Albus Dumbledore. As is noted in other documents, Professor Dumbledore was head of the Order of the Phoenix, which was an organized resistance to Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

"In the process of carrying out his duties as spy, Professor Snape was required to provide information to Voldemort. This was done with unerring precision, only giving the enemy what the Order wanted him to know. The deaths of James and Lily Potter are indirectly attributable to Snape's activities, yet those very activities were carried out under the direction and approbation of Dumbledore. As is noted in other case studies, the Wizengamot has determined that the direct causes of the Potters' deaths are the perfidy of their friend and secret keeper, Peter Pettigrew, along with the activity of Voldemort, himself.

"Upon the return of Voldemort to a human existence, Professor Snape undertook, at great personal risk, to act as spy again. The information he provided has proven critical to the ongoing success of the resistance, and the information passed to Voldemort was again only what was necessary and only what the Order had approved.

"Concerning the death of Albus Dumbledore, it has recently come to light that Professor Snape was less culpable that originally thought. Due to a curse the Headmaster had received, that they were unable to break, Dumbledore had decided upon his own death at Snape's hands as a means to convince Voldemort that Snape was loyal to him. It has come to light that Snape spent many hours researching ways that Dumbledore would be saved from the curse. Had he succeeded, Professor Snape's life would have been forfeit, as he had taken at least two Unbreakable Vows concerning this action."

Suddenly Emily went white and sank into the chair that was still waiting for her. She kept her grip upon Severus's hand, however. She looked into his eyes and found a flicker of reassurance, and so turned back to listen to more of Kingsley's statement.

"After the death of Albus Dumbledore, Professor Snape was considered an enemy and refugee from justice, and yet still managed to assist the Order of the Phoenix. It was he, acting again upon Dumbledore's prompting, who decided upon the best means of safely removing Harry Potter from his aunt's home and found a way for the Order of the Phoenix to accept his plan. While participating as a servant of Voldemort on that occasion, he was able to protect Order of the Phoenix members from fatal harm.

"During the school year, as Headmaster of Hogwarts, it has been discovered that Snape found ways to protect and assist the students, even while appearing to work on the side of Voldemort. On the night of the final battle, Snape kept his cover as servant of Voldemort right up to the point where he was injured, nearly fatally.

"In light of Professor Severus Snape's activities during the past twenty years, the Wizengamot has voted to acquit Snape of all charges that could potentially arise from his actions as spy."

The room was suddenly filled with whispered comments. Emily found that she was breathing. She wasn't sure whether she had done so during the entire statement, but she was breathing now. Her husband was leaning down, so she stood to raise her face, accepting the kiss he had for her.

Kingsley cleared his throat again. "I'm not finished. To continue: Furthermore, in light of Severus Snape's work on behalf of those fighting against Voldemort, involving frequent personal injury and risk of greater injury, the Ministry of Magic has seen fit to bestow the Order of Merlin, First Class." Applause had broken out among the crowd as Kingsley finished. "Congratulations, Severus."

The Snapes stood together and received the good wishes and congratulations of everyone who had come. At some point, an Order member suggested moving the party to the Leaky Cauldron. The group at the hospital broke up and re-formed at the suggested meeting place, but the guest of honor never arrived. Instead, he whisked his wife and sons to his own home, where there was a private celebration that continued most of the night.

There came a time in the small hours of the morning when their bodies were finally replete. Emily had time to ask a question that had burned her heart since the meeting in the conference room. "Were you really looking for a way to counter that curse?"

"What kind of man would I be if I didn't at least try, Emily?"

"But it would have killed you to go back on your Vow. The children and I," she choked. "I don't think I could be without you."

"Whether by design or accident, Dumbledore was working against me there. He had removed all the books that discussed Horcruxes from the library long before he fell victim to one. I would never have found the solution anywhere else."

"But the books in your library would have told you something. I'm sure it was there, in one of them."

"I have so many books about Dark Magic that it would have been difficult to find what I was looking for with so vague a start, even if I didn't have to avoid Pettigrew at every turn that summer after Dumbledore was stricken." He kissed her forehead. "Emily, I had to try. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded. "I've come so close to losing you so many times in the past few years. Finding out about another time... Please tell me we're done with all that."

"I promise, with as much certainty as I can give you. My spying days are over."

"And the second Unbreakable Vow?"

"Was to Dumbledore himself. He thought my position in the Dark Lord's circle was more valuable than his own life. He made me promise to kill him rather than risk that position."

Severus could feel his wife's body go cold as she stiffened with rage. He knew what she was feeling. He had gone over it and over it himself, at the time the Headmaster required that vow. The lengths Albus Dumbledore would go to, in order to ensure that his own ends were accomplished, claiming it was for the good of those he manipulated, were unfathomable.

Severus pulled his wife closer into his arms and warmed her with soft kisses. It would be impossible to forget all that they had gone through. With time, he hoped that it would all recede. He wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of their lives without too many regrets and without new fears.

* * *

An October wind blew chill, and rain fell onto a witch and wizard guarding a back door to the Ministry of Magic. Few knew of the existence of this door, but it was used today to allow an important witness to get into and out of the Wizengamot without significant disturbance. The witch and wizard stepped closer to each other, hoping to keep the chill to a minimum. Unable to help himself, the wizard stepped closer yet, hoping to catch the scent of the witch's hair. She had it in a ponytail to keep it out of her face, yet the curls still cascaded down her back from the nape of her neck. For just a second he closed his eyes and was transported to a flower garden in springtime.

"Longbottom, are you smelling my hair?"

Margo Snape had misgivings about working with Neville Longbottom. There wasn't much use in complaining when they were given this assignment. Although there were several training to be Aurors, there were few who were fully qualified due to losses during the war, so on some assignments the trainees were brought in. Since even that was sometimes not enough, members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army occasionally filled in as well. Margo had been assigned to work with Neville and could not admit the reason why it made her uncomfortable.

"I don't know what came over me, Hope. It's so beautiful that I had to see what it smelled like."

"You think my hair is beautiful?" Why did her heart have to leap every time he used that tone of voice with her?

"I think all of you is beautiful, Hope."

"Then why...oh never mind." She stifled the urge to turn around and jinx him. If he were so sure that she wasn't his type, he could suffer. "Just stop it. We're here to make sure no one tries to hurt the witness."

They stood quietly, wands ready, and watched the alleyway. Suddenly two shapes moved into the light near the door and became Pansy Parkinson and Gregory Goyle. Neville disarmed them while Margo stunned and then bound them.

"Neville, could you send your Patronus to Harry?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you sent yours?"

"No, it really wouldn't." Having seen Neville's at the battle, Margo determined she would never let him see hers. "Can you please just send yours?" Seeing the look on her face, he finally acquiesced.

Pansy looked at Margo. "You sound like a married couple having a spat. You can't possibly fancy a Gryffindor. We should have known you weren't a true Slytherin. We know by now that you're not even truly pure-blood."

Margo looked down at her captive. "You have the right to keep your mouth shut, you know. I'd be perfectly happy if you used it."

"Someone will prevent him from talking, even if we've failed."

"No one who tries to get to this door, if I have anything to do with it," replied Margo.

A moment later a Magical Law Enforcement Squad came and took the two prisoners away. Neville sighed in relief. "Well, that's done, then."

Margo shook her head. "Pansy made it sound as though others might try. We should keep an eye out."

"You know you're quite special to me."

"Yes, Neville, I know," she sighed. Just not special enough.

"I mean, if it weren't for Hannah and all..."

Margo felt as though she had been kicked in the tummy. She stifled the urge to turn and yell at Neville, but the signal came. Suddenly several people Apparated into the alleyway and rushed to the door. A Portkey came next with two people, one of whom was Draco Malfoy and the other an Auror.

"Ah, Sweet Thing! Couldn't resist the chance to see me?" He walked toward Margo, but she kept her wand between them, in a dueling stance.

"I'm here to prevent anything happening to a witness today. Move along, Mr. Malfoy." Neville thought she sounded like a female version of Professor Snape.

Draco tried to step closer to Margo, but the Aurors protecting him pushed him to the now-open door. He turned and smirked toward her, but then the door shut and Margo was alone again with Neville. He put his hand on her arm.

"Hope..."

"Don't, Neville, please don't. You have your girlfriend or whatever she is to you by now. You've made it clear all these years that you're not really interested in me, except now perhaps you're interested in me the way that _he's_ interested in me." She gestured to the door to indicate Malfoy. "It's not really a compliment, and at any rate, I think I deserve something better. Doesn't Hannah deserve better, too?"

He stood there looking at her. For a moment she irrelevantly thought that she understood why her father had yelled at Neville so many times in Potions class. Neville Longbottom could be such a dunderhead about things that should be obvious.

Harry Apparated into the alley. "Well, that was a good job. It seems that Pansy and Goyle were asked by Draco's father to prevent him from getting to the hearing today."

Neville and Margo both nodded in reply.

Harry continued, "Neville, thank you for your help. We'll let you know if we need you again. Margo, we have paperwork to fill out..."

She chuckled without smiling. "And I have better handwriting. I'm right behind you."

Harry went around a corner to the main doors of the Ministry. Neville put his hand on Margo's elbow.

"Hope, I'm sorry. I shouldn't treat you that way."

She couldn't face him and moved in the same direction as Harry. "You should go get dry and warm."

"Are we still on to study this weekend?"

She sighed. "Fine, Neville, I'll see you then." Margo continued following Harry as she heard the pop of Disapparition behind her.

She went to the office the trainees used to file their reports and sat at a table with Harry.

"So what was that between you and Neville?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing."

"You should have sent your own Patronus."

Margo turned red. "I couldn't do that in front of him. I was watching the prisoners, so it was better if he did it anyway."

"He doesn't know your Patronus is—"

"Please leave it alone, Harry. He's never seen it and I don't plan to show him."

"I hope it won't affect your work."

"It never has yet."

Harry looked at her, sensing he had wandered into something highly personal, and met her even stare. He handed over a thick scroll. "Well, we need to get started on this, then."

Margo dipped a quill in ink and began at the top of the parchment.

_A/N: Thank you very much to reader/reviewers angstycryingbaby47, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and tibys. A special thanks to Mark Darcy for beta reading.  
_


	89. Time Passes

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

In early December, Severus and Emily Snape were eating breakfast and glancing through the Daily Prophet. The first several pages were on the Death Eater trials that had just about finished. Emily was admiring the comments about "the dulcet tones of the main witness" to the embarrassment of her husband.

"They don't know the half of it," she laughed. "There's dulcet, honeyed, mellifluous, silky..."

A hand reached around her arm and pulled her out of her chair and into her husband's lap. "What else is there?" he whispered as he kissed her throat.

"Sonorous," she sighed, "and velvety... and... stimulating..." Her lips searched for a particular place behind his ear.

"You don't really have time for this, do you, Mrs. Snape?"

Emily's head snapped up. "No, I need to get to work. They want every minute they can get from me before we leave on that trip." She sat back down in her own chair to finish her breakfast as their daughter wandered into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee.

"Good morning, Hope. It appears your division is doing good work."

"Hmm..." said Hope as she reached for the paper.

"Perhaps you'd rather have a different section?" asked Emily, reaching for the paper a little hastily.

It was too late. Hope saw the item under **Announcements**. _The Abbott and Longbottom families are proud to announce the engagement of Hannah Abbott to Neville Longbottom. The bride to be is the daughter of..._

Hope put the paper down and shut her eyes. Her fingers trembled as she reached for her coffee and sipped it, hoping the steam from the drink would hide the tear that slid out of her eye. She knew her parents weren't fooled, but she hoped they would play along.

Emily got up from the table to move to the fireplace, and Severus went with her to say goodbye. Hope picked up the paper again. _...the couple plans to wed after the prospective groom returns from a Herbology expedition in a year and a half. They then plan to live in London while finishing their advanced training..._

That was the limit of her heart, then. In a year and a half Neville would return from his Herbology expedition and shortly after that he would be married to Hannah and that would be the end of it. She knew that the second it happened, her heart would stop beating. In the meanwhile, she would simply pass the time.

* * *

By the New Year, the cases against major Death Eaters had been decided and Professor Snape had been allowed to leave the country on sabbatical. Emily packed up her husband and sons and left before anyone had a chance to suggest otherwise. Hope had stayed behind, knowing that she needed to work on her training and become an adult in her own right.

Margo Snape found herself the object of many reporters. Now that various gag orders had been lifted, the press were eager to learn everything they could about the Snape family. She said little to most of the reporters, although she did speak with Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna's father was a dear, and his story would probably fly in the face of the usual stories. He believed that the Snapes loved each other, just as he had always sensed that Severus Snape was not truly working for Voldemort.

A flurry of stories started to surface in the papers and magazines in the spring. Some thought they had proof that Emily Snape was doomed to love hopelessly while Severus Snape carried a torch for a dead woman. Most seemed to consider Margo's mother to be some sort of adventuress, as the story in the _Daily Prophet_ described.

_THE OTHER WOMAN:_

_The Life and Activities of Emily Snape_

_by Rita Skeeter_

_Many of us have been thrilled and amazed to learn of the connection between the surly yet dashing long time Potions Master of Hogwarts School and Harry Potter. The revelation about the star-crossed love affair between Severus Snape and Lily Evans Potter when students themselves, has left us breathless and astonished. Yet, the Potions Master has been married since before the first fall of You-Know-Who. Just who is this other woman, and how does she fit into the story?_

_Emily Snape, nee Smith, is a Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital, the daughter of Healers. She attended Hogwarts School during the same years as her husband as well as both Lily Evans and James Potter. Her grades were Outstanding as a student, although perhaps that's easy enough to understand. Contemporaries at the school tell us she studied with Severus Snape in the school's library most nights. After leaving Hogwarts, she entered the Healer training program at St. Mungo's and has worked there ever since. She and Snape were wed in August of 1979, and their daughter was born the following April. The couple also has two young sons._

_Miss Smith was known as a somewhat mousy thing until sixth year, when she was suddenly courted assiduously by the campus Lothario known as Sirius Black. "Oh, yes, that was the year she started to fill out her robes," explains one classmate, "Sirius was dead gone over her. We know why the boys were interested after that." Sirius Black was unavailable, at the time of press, for comment._

_Knowing, as we do now, that Severus Snape was in love with Lily Evans, it's unclear just how Emily Smith inveigled him into marriage. Based upon the dates available in public records, it appears that Smith took advantage of him around the time of James and Lily Potter's wedding in July of 1979, and perhaps trapped him. The couple had no other children for thirteen years after the birth of their daughter, causing us to wonder what sort of marriage they really had._

_What must life have been like for Emily Snape, knowing her husband's true feelings? How did she manage to marry a man who was in love with another woman? Did she find her actions were worth it? We wish to know, but may never find out. What is clear is that Healer Snape must be far-sighted. She has managed to tie up a wizard who should be one of the most eligible bachelors on the scene, given his dashing war record._

_At the time of press, neither of the Snapes were available for comment, as Healer Snape has whisked her husband and sons away on sabbatical to the Continent, claiming that his still-improving health could use a good vacation. Their daughter, Margo, who is currently in the Auror Training Program, refused the opportunity to comment. Family and friends have been equally reticent. Rest assured, dear reader, this reporter will continue to diligently search for the truth._

Margo Snape set the paper aside for the fourth or fifth time and sighed. The story made the whole thing sound so lurid, when it was really incredibly romantic, and in some ways, wonderfully mundane. Her parents simply loved each other. Whatever had originally drawn them together, they had clearly gotten the best part of the deal. What's more, they deserved this time alone.

She had gone to be with them for a spring holiday and found them quite content with each other and the boys. Margo had recalled her own happy childhood with the same parents as she watched and helped them care for her brothers. Arriving home to a sensational story by that Skeeter witch was a bit of a come down. _I wonder what she would have thought if she ever saw them as I did, all over each other half the time?_

Margo was brought back to Earth by a tall wizard standing in front of her desk. Looking up, she saw Ted Nott and stood to give him a hug. "Ted, what brings you here?"

"You do."

She blushed at the compliment. "No, really."

"I have this thing to go to, and didn't have a date. I was wondering if you would be interested, but I wasn't sure how to contact you until I saw the Skeeter article about your mother in the paper."

"Oh, that." Margo turned red.

Ted shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Anyone who has seen your parents in the same room together knows the real score. Back to this thing, it's an old style dinner-dance to celebrate my dad's release from Azkaban. Lots of the family elders will be there, and I can't get out of it. Please say you'll come."

"You want me to be your date?"

"It'll be fun, Margo, and I need a friend, not one of those girls who constantly owls me her address and dress size."

Margo had a couple of similar owls each week from young men, and not-so-young men, herself. Avoiding the rush of interest that came in the wake of the war was tiresome, and Ted was a good friend. "I'll do it."

"You won't regret it. Oh," he said, sliding his hand into a pocket of his robe, "these are for you." He handed her a bouquet of tulips and lilies.

"You brought me flowers?"

"I wasn't sure if I would need to sweeten the pot."

The answer he received was a soft smile. He didn't know it was the first real one to cross her features in weeks, but he still felt a triumph. Things were looking up for him after a difficult time. The family fortunes were never in danger, but an alliance with the right young woman would bring the Nott name back to its former prominence. Plus, Margo was really a sweet girl, for all that she was an implacable warrior when roused.

* * *

The winter disappeared and became spring and then late spring. It was time to go home. Emily felt the pull of home life in every letter from her mother and in every picture of Hope in the paper. She knew Severus was better. The hard edge and bitterness she had known since they were teens had softened, but his quick wit had returned, along with the self confidence and quick reflexes. The muscle aches were gone, as were the nightmares.

The boys were ready for a more structured environment, as well. They were being spoiled to death by the local house-elves, who pretended they couldn't understand her explicit directions. There was much to pull her back to England, including a small tug within her womb. She was sure she was pregnant and wanted to go home to confirm it. At some point, under the Mediterranean moon, they had conceived again.

Emily had a stray thought that made her blush. Perhaps it was the Mediterranean sun. There was the day when Hope and Mum had been with them and had insisted on taking the boys into town for sightseeing. Severus and Emily had lain on the private beach that went with their cottage. One thing had led to another, and Emily had idly watched first one piece and then the other of her bathing suit float off into the surf. The larger portion of her attention was captured by the exquisite feelings her husband was causing. Severus had quite a sunburn that afternoon, requiring more than one application of an aloe lotion. Of course in the evening applications of the lotion, they discovered certain ways to enjoy the moment and perhaps it was the Mediterranean moon after all.

She decided to broach the subject that evening, after the boys were in bed.

"Severus, I think it's time to go home. I want to be back for the summer. It's getting hot here and I think there are things we need to get back to..."

"You wish to be home for the summer? Shall we spend the summer days in our own garden?" His improved health and complete freedom from any responsibility or oppression made him whimsical at times. He drew her to him and kissed her. "_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?_" he whispered into her neck. "_Thou art more lovely and more temperate._"

Emily tried to turn her head and look into his eyes. "Severus, I think that you're fully recovered now and the boys--"

"_Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date._" He unfastened her robe and kissed along her collar bones and then her lips again, preventing her from protesting.

When he released her, she would have spoken again, but he held his finger over her lips. "_Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed_." His lips descended again, and Emily found herself intoxicated by the sound of his voice and the rich words. Her fingers, almost in spite of themselves, reached to unfasten his robe.

He continued, "_And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimmed._" Clothing was falling to the floor as they made their way to the bed in that awkward yet graceful dance of lovers.

"_But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,_" he whispered into her skin as he kissed and caressed her. She was under his spell, her own lips and fingertips doing things of their own accord.

He raised his head and looked at her in the way that always melted her. "_Nor shall Death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st._"

After that, the moment for speaking was past, but the room echoed with sighs and moans as they shared their passion together. Then all was silent as they simply looked into each other's eyes and smiled. As he rolled to her side, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "_So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee._"

Emily reached for him and kissed him back. "And so you have."

"And so I have what?"

"Given life."

He smiled in satisfaction. "We do have a fine family, don't we?"

"Severus, I'm trying to tell you, I think there is another one coming."

He sat up and looked her over greedily. "Another? Are you sure?"

"I'd like to go home to have it confirmed, but I'm as sure as I can be that another person will share the Snape name next January."

"How is this possible?"

She laughed low in her throat and quietly responded, "Do you really have to ask?" He felt his body responding to the sound of her voice. Passion sprung up between them again.

When it was complete, he leaned down and kissed her face all over. "You know the best part, don't you?"

"What would that be?"

"No one will _ever_ refer to this child as a 'future Death Eater'."

* * *

Hannah had come to help Neville pack for his year-long trip and they had come up to his grandmother's attic to find a suitable trunk. She was exploring one corner of the long room when she heard a timid "_Riddikulus!_" Hannah turned to assist Neville with the Boggart he must have discovered. She beheld not just his worst fear, but also, she quickly realized, her own.

He tried again, "_Riddikulus_!" The Boggart shifted to a worse version of the same fear. Hannah shook her head and took over, exploding the Boggart quickly. Neville walked over to the stairs and sat down heavily. Hannah thought she heard him stifle a groan.

"That's not the Snape I would have expected," she said quietly, after sitting next to him.

"I haven't dealt with a Boggart since the one in Lupin's class," he said. "I had no idea."

"Neville, if she means that much to you..."

"Hannah, it doesn't mean anything. She scares me to death."

Hannah persisted. "That's not what the Boggart sensed. _She_ doesn't scare you to death."

"She could vaporize me with hardly more than a look."

"But you know she would never do it. Are you scared of her, or of your own feelings where she's concerned?"

He didn't answer. Hannah didn't need him to answer. He had asked her to marry him rather hastily one afternoon. She knew that he had been to see Margo Snape that day, and suspected the two had quarreled. She also knew that Neville and Margo's friendship was deeper than anything she would share with Neville. They had little shared jokes and even pet names for each other. When they were together, it was clear that Hannah was the third wheel.

Margo was a good sport and had kept her distance since the engagement, but Hannah knew that Neville still thought about her. Hannah even thought she knew _what_ Neville thought about her. Margo had been in the society column quite a bit lately, in pictures showing her on the arm of Ted Nott. She looked as though she should be having a marvelous time, but her eyes were always a little sad. Hannah thought she knew why. She was sure she knew, by the way Neville would wad up the paper and burn it, of what Neville thought about Margo dating Nott.

"I think it's time to end it, Neville. I don't want to be the safe choice for you."

"Hannah, you're perfect for me. You're just what I need—"

"I don't want to be what you _need_. I want to be the one you _want_ and I don't think I am." Hannah walked down the stairs, feeling surprisingly good. She had dreaded this for so long that it was good to finally have it over. She said goodbye to Augusta as she passed her in the kitchen, and left the house.

Neville sat a while longer on the attic steps, hardly realizing that his grandmother's engagement ring was in his hand. There was too much to think about, and he couldn't go to the person who always sorted things out for him in the past. There were only days until he had to leave, anyhow. Perhaps he should spend the next year thinking it over while abroad. The engagement to Hannah _was_ a bit hasty.

Neville finally stood and picked up the trunk he had found, now thankfully without the Boggart. On a whim, he also located and picked up a box that Hagrid had given him shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts. Hagrid had said the contents of the box belonged to Neville, but he had never felt right about that. There was a cobbler on Diagon Alley who would take a commission. Neville had some last minute shopping to do and some books to pick up tomorrow. He would have time to add the one stop.

* * *

_A/N: Another credit is due for this chapter. That is one of Shakespeare's Sonnets that Severus recites to Emily._

_There's a lot of skipping around here. I think it's safe to say that for the most part people are living their lives, going back to work where possible, rebuilding some things, dealing with the continuing reconstruction after the war. I'm just touching on moments that are pertinent to my plot, now._

_Thank you to reviewers debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, and tibys. Special thanks go to Mark Darcy._


	90. In a Muddle

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

The Snape family was reunited in England for the summer months. Severus prepared to teach again while Emily started working light shifts at St. Mungo's Hospital. If the two noticed a brittleness to their daughter's behavior, they didn't comment upon it to her. Perhaps they recalled what their own lives had been like at her age. They decided to watch and see what was happening in her life and how she was handling it. As far as they could tell, she enjoyed work and her new found friendships through Auror training. It was other portions of her life that they weren't as sure about.

School started and Hope's parents moved back to Hogwarts. Daddy had taken over the Defense Against the Dark Arts program, and Mum was working again at St. Mungo's. At four and a half and a bit over one, Hope's little brothers were quite a handful, but also great fun. They had learned quite a few colorful expressions from the French and Italian house-elves while abroad. Mum was good-naturedly correcting it as it came up. She was also more cheerful than Hope had ever seen her, getting large again with another baby.

Neville was gone, but he had started writing her again. His letters were mostly about the plants he learned about in their native habitats. He was already filled with ideas for experimental greenhouses, making Margo smile.

She wondered if her own letters were in the correct tone. She wrote about some of the doings in Auror training, including anecdotes about his former dorm mates. She also told him, from time to time, of her family's doings. She told him nothing of her evenings or Ted Nott.

For all that she had embarked on an exciting career and she was living a glamorous social life, things were a bit flat these days. She wondered what charming little restaurant Ted wanted to explore tonight, or whether he had another family party to attend. She hoped he wouldn't feel the need to kiss her. Remembering her mother's analogy comparing reading about dragons in a book and seeing real dragons, she knew that Ted's kisses were the book kind. The two times her lips had touched Neville's, even without romantic intent, had set fires she could never quench. She longed for and dreaded his return, which would both bring him near and take him from her forever.

There was yet another owl from that fashion magazine. They were after her to do a story about what she did now. They seemed to think young women would want to know about training as an Auror while spending evenings as a socialite. She took out some parchment and started writing. It didn't seem like there was much else going on.

* * *

Emily Snape gave birth to her fourth son in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. Her labor was long enough to properly prepare, but not too long. Her husband sat behind her, holding her in his arms as she pushed and the baby was born. Relaxing back against him in the moments after birth, Emily thought her life was nearly perfect. It seemed as though Poppy and her mother were taking forever to clean the baby up and bring him to her, but Severus's arms around her and his lips along the side of her face contented her for now.

Later that day, they argued over the name.

"Severus, you share a birthday, and he's going to look exactly like you."

The boy's father growled. "Isn't that bad enough? You want to saddle him with my name, too?"

Emily turned, wincing at certain discomforts, and looked into her husband's face. "You chose all the others before him, and you may choose any others that come in the future, but this one is Severus Snape. If you don't like it, you can take your frustration to your seventh year class."

Severus looked down at the bundle in his wife's arms. As if in answer to a command, the little face turned from his mother's breast and scowled up at his father. Emily stifled a giggle as father and son stared at each other, matching black eyes to black eyes and frown to frown.

"Are you sure, Emily?"

"It's who he is."

"Severus _Prince_ Snape, then. He is more than a Half-blood Prince".

* * *

_SLYTHERIN PRINCESS_

_A Day in the Life of Margo Snape_

_by Trudy Maxwell-Deene_

_One of the lesser known but arguably more glamorous figures in the defeat of Voldemort is Margo Snape, daughter of Hogwarts Professor Severus Snape. Recent students of Hogwarts will remember Margo as a tall, quiet, dark-haired girl with unconventional good looks. Those who were at the final battle will always remember the way she fought, against some of her house mates, to defeat You-Know-Who. Since finishing school, Ms. Snape has joined the ranks of the Aurors by day and the beautiful people by night. What is such a life like? __Teen Witch Weekly__ decided to find out._

_I was taken by Side-along Apparition to my appointment with Ms. Snape at the Auror training grounds. As I arrived, a group of trainees came out of a building, joking and laughing. They were followed by none other than Harry Potter, himself. He was rubbing his elbow and shouted, "I'll get you for this, Snape!"_

_What was this? Some sort of rivalry or animosity between trainees? Everyone stopped walking and turned to look at Margo. The object of our article turned calmly and shouted back, "Hardly, Potter, that was payback for last week!"_

_Hardly an instant passed before the Boy-Who-Lived smiled in satisfaction and responded, "Oh, yeah. That was a good one." The crowd laughed and continued into a classroom building._

_During a short break before a classroom lesson, Margo explained the incident. "In the process of practicing, we have to duel each other and sometimes we get injured. Last week Potter got me, this week I got him." She shrugged. "We've long since learned to respect each other and look out for each other. It's a necessity when our lives depend upon it. The old House rivalries of Hogwarts would just get in the way, here."_

_Their lives have already depended upon it. In a bold move, the Ministry has allowed the use of trainees in limited situations at times when there are not sufficient numbers of fully qualified Aurors to handle assignments. Minister Shacklebolt explained to this reporter that it's a program that has helped in training and has not compromised trainee or public safety in any way. "Because of the recent war, many of these trainees have experiences that go beyond what they would ever learn in our classrooms," he stated._

_There was a short classroom seminar to go over the techniques practiced that morning, then lunch, and then an afternoon class in communications. After that class, the group went into a wooded area and practiced sending Patronuses with messages to one another. As lovely and well-formed as these Patronuses were, there must not be a Dementor in the district. It was clearly an easy afternoon, and the trainees appeared to be very experienced in that particular skill. Margo received a message from a silvery woodchuck and then sent a lioness to the next person in the chain. Her technique seems almost effortless._

_After this practice, training was done for the day, and Ms. Snape took me, by Floo, to her grandmother's London terraced house. Here we cleaned up and prepared for a charity gala being held for St. Mungo's that evening. My hostess was classically stunning in the little black dress robe that has been flying off the Gladrags racks like Golden Snitches. She accessorized simply with a strand of pearls, matching ear-rings, and basic black pumps. Her trademark black curls were swept up onto her head and her make up was understated, except for red lipstick. It's a timeless look that she carries off well. No wonder so many young women try to copy it._

_Between the shoes and the hair style, Margo was quite tall, but her date for the evening was taller still. The elegant and gentlemanly Theodore Nott arrived precisely on the dot of half-past six and presented her with an orchid corsage, which she pinned to her robes, declaring herself ready. Theodore put Margo's cloak over her shoulders with a swirl and we were off to St. Mungo's, opting to walk on this mild April evening._

"_Margo has a way with her," Mr. Nott ("call me Ted, please") told me as we walked. "She will tell the most tightfisted of benefactors about her childhood days spent visiting the hospital with her mother and grandmother and how it now needs upgrades, and they just hand her the Galleons. They can't get enough of it."_

_Margo was quick to point out that the benefactors she does not succeed with usually respond to Ted's urging. "We make a good team," he's quick to agree. This reporter does not want to be hasty in predicting a match, but it's easy to see why the gossip columns continuously discuss the wedding of these two as an unquestioned future event. They form a solid partnership. Throughout the evening, whether dancing with octogenarians or sharing a quiet drink with captains of industry, these two worked the room. They tirelessly continued the work of fund raising for the hospital while adding to the mystique of the glamorous people._

_Before the party broke up, I took advantage of an opportunity to ask Margo what the future holds. "Oh, my training will be complete in about a year and a half, and that's my current goal," she said. "After that, the future is wide open."_

Neville flipped the magazine shut and looked at Hope on the cover picture, except she didn't really look like Hope, there. She looked like the society girl the article described, with the upswept hair and perfect make-up. He flipped back to the article and looked at the pictures of her training, her hair caught into a long braid. These seemed more normal. There was one picture where she seemed to be sharing some sort of joke with Harry and Ron. She looked just like she sometimes looked at him during sixth year Defense classes, back when she was _his_ Hope.

Neville had waited too long. Now that he knew that he wanted her completely, she wasn't his Hope anymore. She was shared with everyone who read this article. Plus, it appeared that Nott had the inside track these days. If the articles he saw in the Daily Prophet were any indication, an engagement would be announced any time now. Gran thought he would enjoy hearing about his old friend, but it was torture. He loved to see her face, but it was heartbreak to know she would soon belong to another.

He set aside all of the papers and the magazine, doused his lights and went to bed for the night. He was Sir Luckless after all. His last opportunity to get this right was probably the day they had watched the back door of the Ministry together. He could remember every second of that event... smelling her hair, telling her she was beautiful, squabbling in front of the prisoners, being compared to Malfoy...

Suddenly Neville sat up. There was something in the article... Using the tip of his wand for light, he flipped through the magazine and re-read the story, looking for something that he hadn't quite paid attention to when he first read it. There it was. He could very well still have his chance.

* * *

Margo pulled a bag over her shoulder as she prepared to Floo from her grandmother's kitchen to her parents' apartment at Hogwarts. The summons had come rather quickly after the magazine was published. _We expect you for dinner Friday evening and the rest of the weekend._ There was no "how are you?" or "we love you," just the summons and nothing else. Margo thought she knew exactly what wasn't said. It was practically a Howler.

Ted had been particularly difficult about breaking off tonight's date. It was some family get together, again. She was sure that sipping cocktails and listening to pure blood exploits would eventually make her ears bleed, but Ted seemed to get off on it. Then there was the inevitable fumble and grope when he brought her home. He interpreted her discomfort as maidenly reticence and if anything it made him more amorous. She was well away from that, at least.

She didn't need to check her bag again. She knew everything was in it. She had cleaned up from her training that day and put on robes that were perfectly appropriate. There was no further reason to stall, and dinner would be served soon at Hogwarts. She took a pinch of powder and stepped toward the fireplace.

"Hogwarts, Professor Snape's quarters."

She emerged in the familiar sitting room to see her parents sitting together on the couch, which they had turned to face the fireplace. There would be no way to avoid this conversation. Meekly, she sat in the chair her mother motioned to her. She looked at her parents. Her father looked serious, but not angry at all. Mum, however, had a glint in her eye that was usually reserved for broken crockery or games of Exploding Snap that went hideously wrong.

"Minister Shacklebolt said it would be fine--"

Mum's hand shot up. Margo tried again.

"I told them to keep you two out of it and they did--"

Again the hand waved her to silence. Now she was confused. No one spoke for a few minutes. Daddy pulled Mum close and whispered something into her ear. Mum nodded and finally spoke.

"Margo Eileen, you have been a delight to us. No parents could ask for a better behaved daughter, nor one so intelligent and practical. Some parts of your childhood have been difficult and most of it has been a little odd. We forced you to forgo some of the pleasures your classmates experienced, simply because we didn't want you to be targeted or because it would otherwise hurt our family's situation in the war."

Mum picked up the magazine that was sitting on the coffee table. "This article is not the problem. We don't mind that you gave the interview, nor that you seem to be having a lovely life. What we do mind is that this picture, right on the cover, tells us a completely different story. This beautiful but unhappy girl is not our daughter. You're not really having a lovely life, are you?"

There was nothing to do except burst into tears. "I don't kn-kn-know..."

Daddy came over and lifted her up, guiding her to sit on the couch between her parents. "Are you unhappy with the Aurors?"

"Oh, no, Daddy! I'm having the time of my life with them, truly. I get to learn so much and try so many different things. Even the paperwork isn't so bad after all the homework we used to do here. I'm making friends, too, with people who never spoke to me at school. Now we don't have to worry about sides or Houses. I can't wait to get to the training grounds every morning." She was practically gushing.

"So then it's your evening activities," Mum averred.

"Not exactly. I enjoy going out, especially when I get to help at the hospital or the school fund raisers." This wasn't quite so enthusiastic, but it was clearly not the problem.

"We narrow it down to Mr. Nott," Daddy stated.

She couldn't answer that one.

"Hope?" asked her mother, "are you in love with Theodore Nott?"

"No," she whispered with a shudder.

"Is he in love with you?"

"I don't think so. I hope not." This was difficult.

"Do you intend to marry him?" asked her father.

"He's never asked. I honestly don't know."

"Can you be happy with him?" asked Mum.

"Maybe. Were you always happy with Daddy?"

"If I had not loved your father, I would have refused his offer of marriage. I might have let him Obliviate himself without even telling him about you. I knew I loved him, though, and I knew I was his closest friend in the world, save one. Plus we had a bond from our school days that I fear you do not have with Ted."

"But we get along..."

"I 'get along' with Sirius Black, Hope. I couldn't have married him, though. I couldn't really stand the thought of him touching me, beyond the kisses we shared. The thought of you being in a marriage like that..." Mum reached behind Hope's back for Daddy's hand and he clasped hers firmly.

"I think what your mother is trying to say is that you shouldn't wander aimlessly into a marriage you don't want. If you really and truly want to be married to Ted, then that is one thing. He's a fine young man and a credit to his family and his House. If you do not, then perhaps it is time to progress to something else in your life."

"He hasn't asked me and might never do so." He would, though, in a heartbeat if Margo gave him the least bit of encouragement.

"Do you honestly think that?"

"Am I supposed to stop seeing him?"

"You have to make your own decisions," said Mum. "Just be truthful with the young man."

"I honestly couldn't say whether I would marry Ted until he actually asks me, could I?"

"We want you to be happy."

"I don't think I can be happy. I don't think I can be much of anything, right now, and as soon as Neville gets home, he's going to marry Hannah and then nothing will matter any more." The tears started again and Hope fussed at herself. There was no reason to bring Neville into it.

"Are you sure? Augusta told me last week that he will be home soon, but she didn't mention anything about a wedding."

"It was in the paper that they would get married as soon as he got back, and I haven't heard anything to the contrary."

Daddy spoke up. "So if you can't have Neville, you're going to throw yourself at Mr. Nott?" It sounded pretty bad when he put it that way.

"He hasn't even asked me! I'm not going to throw myself at him, ok? I just—" Her face looked pained.

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I'll just have to see what happens."

* * *

"I can't do this, Severus." Emily, pacing in their bedroom later. "The reason we have that child is because we turned away from our drastic choices and now, she's going to give herself to that young man in a great act of desperation."

They had let her return to her grandmother's house after dinner. She was clearly not going to discuss the topic any more and her mother wanted to discuss nothing else. They were at an impasse and there was nothing to be gained by going over it again. This left Emily pacing in her bedroom with her husband watching from the bed.

He got up and stopped her. "She isn't going to do any such thing. We raised a daughter who thinks things through, clearly. She won't do anything rash. She knows we love her and that we care about what she does. She'll make the best decisions."

"Can you promise me that?"

"I can't promise you anything like that, Emily. You know better. Why are you so worried about this, anyway?"

"It's all on the edge of a knife, somehow."

"I think you just need something to worry about."

"That's not it." Emily wouldn't look up when she said it.

"Yes, you don't need to worry about me anymore, so now you're moving on to our daughter."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"No? Then how about you go back to worrying about me for a few minutes?"

"What do you mean?" Emily looked up. Was there some new danger of which she was uninformed?

"We've been in this bedroom a full hour and I've yet to feel your lips pressed to any part of my body."

"Is there a part in particular to which they should be pressed?" Emily's attention was starting to shift.

"There are several, in fact." A salacious grin started to spread across his face.

"Have I neglected you so much?"

"Horribly." He tugged at her hands and brought her to the bed, where he proceeded to show her all the places where a kiss would be welcome.

_A/N: Thank you for sticking with me; there's just a bit more. Thank you again to Istani, debjunk, tibys, and excessivelyperky. Thank you very much to beta reader Mark Darcy._


	91. Hope Fulfilled

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

On an evening in early June, Neville sat in the sitting room of Margo Smith's house, looking across a coffee table at his former Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor nervously. The professor was scowling while his wife looked kindly at Neville. He felt his hands get damp with nervousness, and he clasped the box on his knees tightly.

"You wanted something, Longbottom?" It might have been second year potions class.

"Yes," he squeaked, and then cleared his throat. "That is, I would like permission to court your daughter."

Professor Snape looked him up and down. "And why should I allow it? What exactly are your intentions?"

"Sir, I love her and I want very much to marry her. I'd like permission for that, too."

Mrs. Snape looked as though she were going to say something, but her husband put his hand upon her knee in restraint. They looked into each other's eyes, and she nodded with a gentle smile. This was not what Neville had read about in the papers. This was a marriage as Hope had described it in her letters, the sort of marriage he wished to have some day.

"Haven't you been engaged to another young lady?" The black eyes did not allow any prevarication.

He blushed and stammered. "We...we broke it off before I left on my trip. I didn't want to embarrass Hannah, so I left it to her to announce it as she saw fit. I guess she didn't see fit to announce it at all."

"Longbottom, do you realize what you have put our daughter through?"

It was time to own his mistakes and tell what he had learned. "Yes, sir, I think I do. I was as reluctant as she was to admit our friendship all the way through school, I made wild accusations after Headmaster Dumbledore died, I flaunted my romance with Hannah in her face, and I refused to admit my feelings for her. Worst of all, I feared her, when she had never done anything to make me do so. She's always been generous and kind to me, she even gave me first aid several times, and I've been terribly ungrateful.

"I know you call her Hope, and she's been just that to me, too. If I've outgrown being clumsy and a bit slow, it's due to her support and encouragement. She's a brilliant witch, capable of blasting me into a grease spot, but I know she would never do such a thing. Instead she's always shared what she knows with me. Besides that, she's beautiful. I just love her, sir. I know that she can probably take care of me better than I could take care of her, but I would look after her as well as I can, and I'm sure we can be successful in our marriage, if you allow it."

"Why, Mr. Longbottom, did it take you so long to come to this conclusion?"

"I've known it for years, but I was reluctant to admit it. I might never have changed my mind if it weren't for a Boggart, sir."

"A Boggart?" asked Mrs. Snape.

Neville described the Boggart he and Hannah had battled in the attic. By the time he was done, Mrs. Snape had tears in her eyes and the Professor's demeanor had softened.

It was Mrs. Snape who spoke this time. "Severus, if he feels that strongly about her, if that's his greatest fear..."

The professor smiled down into his wife's face. "Yes, you are right." He took her hand, and Neville again saw what he knew he desperately wanted for himself. "All right, Neville, if you care that deeply for her, and if her wellbeing is so important to you, then you may ask her if you wish. I warn you, however, that you have a rival. We have also given permission to Theodore Nott to ask her. If she chooses you, your duty is to care for her and look after her happiness as well as you can. If you make her just half as happy as this dear lady has done for me," here Snape lifted his wife's hand to his lips, making her smile, "I will be satisfied."

Neville jumped up in excitement. "Is she here, now? May I speak with her?"

Mrs. Snape shook her head and smiled kindly. "I'm afraid she's out with Ted tonight. She has a day off tomorrow, though. She often spends time at the hospital the mornings of her days off."

"Thank you so much. I swear you'll never regret it," said Neville, almost dropping his box. "Oh, I nearly forgot. This is for you, sir. Professor Hagrid gave something to me, but it seemed to belong at least as much to you. The cobbler said this would be your size. Thank you again."

The young man shook hands and went his way out the door, almost in a daze of happiness. The two in the sitting room didn't even have a chance to see him out of the house. They looked fondly at each other, remembering the days when they were young and falling in love. Severus stood and lifted his wife to her feet, whispering an idea into her ear.

"I'm certainly willing," Emily said, "but don't you want to see what's in the box?"

"If you insist," he answered.

The box contained a pair of snake-skin boots.

"Do you suppose it's—" Emily asked.

"Almost certainly," Severus answered.

_"Nagini,"_ she said, reverently.

Her husband slid a hand around her waist and whispered a new idea into her ear. She giggled and shook her head. He whispered more insistently, and she shyly nodded.

"I'm game if you are," she said.

* * *

She was standing in nothing but her shift, staring hopelessly into her closet. He came up behind her and kissed her neck. He was wearing the boots and little else besides his shirt.

"Is there a problem?"

"What exactly do snake charmers wear?"

"Around here they wear as little as possible." His lips moved down her shoulder, and his hands came around to explore the contours hidden beneath the thin batiste of her garment. Sensing some reticence, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I don't want to disappoint you."

"After more than twenty years of marriage you think you can disappoint me?"

"This whole concept is a bit...different."

"Emily, the point is to enjoy ourselves. Don't worry about it, just enjoy it." He kneaded the tension from her neck and then returned his hands to caress her intently, pulling her body against his own and rousing her. Suddenly she became very aware of the snake she wanted to charm and how to charm it.

Neither knew exactly how much time had passed when Severus groaned out, "You enchant me, Emily."

"That's good," she panted, "because I'm completely in your power."

It was early yet and they lay together, whispering their love and eventually turning to their hopes for their daughter. That naturally turned to Neville and how he had changed since his days in Professor Snape's classroom. This was a much different young man who had come to their home. Tonight was the first time Severus could believe that he actually had killed the snake.

"Which reminds me, Emily," Severus said, looking in amusement at his wife. "How exactly is it that you're wearing the boots, now?"

"You don't remember?" She was smiling seductively.

He vaguely recalled the feel of her feet on the backs of his legs. She must have slid the boots off and slid her own feet into them. The thought of her toes running along his calves like that renewed his desires.

"Would you like to try that again?"

Her face took on a mischievous look. "The boots are on me, now." She rolled over, trapping his hands beneath her. "How are you going to get them back on your own feet?"

He used his body to respond, earning a shriek of laughter which subsided as his actions started to elicit passionate moans.

* * *

Margo Snape took a sip of her drink and tried not to sigh. While it was a useful diversion for her broken heart at first, she was getting a little tired of the constant round of being glamorous. The late nights were starting to take a toll, and the constant need to be friendly to the "important" people was making her weary. Worst of all, she feared that Ted was getting the wrong idea. Perhaps tonight she should break it off with him. It would leave her at loose ends when the _Prophet_ finally published the announcement of Neville and Hannah's wedding, but she wasn't sure all of these trendy restaurant dinners would help much when that happened, anyway.

Maybe she was reading into things, though. Her mother seemed a bit odd that night when she warned her against marrying without love. Perhaps Mum was just being overprotective. Daddy hadn't seemed quite so worried actually, in comparison. What did they know about it, anyway? They had simply fallen into the perfect marriage.

Hope realized that the restaurant was suddenly too quiet. She looked around and saw that the room was empty, except for a string quartet in the corner. Waiters and musicians looked at her expectantly as Ted knelt down before her.

"Margo, we've been seeing each other for a while, and we've been friends since we were kids," he started.

A pained look came over Margo's face. "Please Ted, don't do this."

"I must. Just hear me out. I went to see your parents last week and they gave me permission."

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head.

"Margo, I've admired you for a very long time. You're beautiful, your family is well-connected, and we enjoy each other's company. Tell me we can make a permanent arrangement out of this. Tell me you will marry me."

She shook her head again and now a tear was trailing down from her wet eyelashes. "I'm sorry Ted. I've enjoyed our time together and you don't know how it's cheered me up when I was in the doldrums for a while..."

"I know there's someone else, Margo, but where is he, tonight?" He tried to take her hand but she wouldn't let him. She wrapped her arms around her middle.

"What did they say?"

"What did who say?"

"My parents. When they gave you permission, what did they say?"

"Your father said that he couldn't give me much hope, but if I really wanted to try I might. Then your mother said that she would not stand in the way of your happiness. Margo, let me make you happy. The other man has only made you miserable. If I knew who he was, I would challenge him to a duel. I promise I'll make it my life's ambition to make you happy."

Did it really matter? She looked around the empty restaurant. Plenty of people got married without what her parents had. They lived fulfilling lives, didn't they? She and Ted could do so much together for the hospital, for the school, for other charities. When they were alone together, she would just...just what? The thought of being alone with Ted, of undressing in front of him, made her go cold all over.

"Ted, I just can't. I can't do it without love, and you shouldn't, either." She stood. "I, um, I need to go. I don't think I can see you anymore."

"Margo, wait!" He stood and showed her the stunning engagement ring he had brought. It was the same ring she had worn during a charity fashion show a few months earlier. She had hated the weight of it. The ring was beautiful, but she couldn't wait to get it off on the previous occasion. It would be twice as heavy if Theodore Nott put it on her finger.

She smiled and shook her head, realizing how little they knew each other. "Farewell Ted."

Before another minute had passed, Margo Snape was out on the sidewalk, taking out her hairpins and dropping them on the sidewalk as she went. She shook her hair out and then took off her shoes, suddenly several inches shorter. She walked until she felt a little more herself. On top of being unhappy she was now disgraced. The socialites and gossip columnists would hate her for "breaking Theodore Nott's heart," as they would put it. She wasn't so happy about it herself, but she couldn't do what he asked, not all of what it would entail. She continued walking along the perimeter of a well-lit park, looking for a quiet corner from which to Disapparate.

A few minutes after that, Hope arrived in her grandmother's kitchen. She made her way to her bedroom and quietly washed her face, removing every last vestige of the young woman who would probably never again grace a newspaper picture. The trendy little number that Madame Malkin swore would fly out of her shop if Ms. Snape wore it in public landed in a heap on the closet floor. She put on her frumpiest pajamas and climbed into bed. By the light of her wand she re-read every note and letter that Lucky had ever sent her until well into the morning, stopping only to dry her eyes at intervals. She got up and dressed early, leaving the house before she would have to face her parents.

* * *

Neville Longbottom was in a rush to get to the hospital the next morning. He waited long enough to scan the _Daily Prophet_, wondering which section the announcement would be in if Hope had given herself to Nott. He saw nothing of interest other than a short announcement about himself having returned to England this week. It didn't mean she was not engaged yet, but at least he wouldn't knowingly steal another man's woman. Tossing the paper onto Gran's kitchen table, he decided it didn't matter. He was a Gryffindor, after all, and he wouldn't let something like an engagement stand in his way.

He dressed carefully, knowing it never mattered to her anyway. He wanted to make the effort, because she was important to him. He wanted her to know that he was willing to do more than just enough.

He decided to start with his parents. He knew that they liked Hope and that she went to see them every day that she could. Knowing she would do that had made his year away easier to bear. She knew just how his dad liked his pillow fluffed, and she was good at making girl talk when she spoke with his mother. Neville had just walked around the corner when he realized that she had gotten there before him. He backed away where they wouldn't see him.

"I know that now he's home, he'll probably get married to Hannah soon," she was saying, "and I really should keep my distance after that. I just want you both to know that it's for his sake. I love him too much to interfere with his happiness that way. It wouldn't be fair to him or to Hannah if I kept coming."

Alice made a moaning sound, and Hope shushed her and soothed her. "I'm sorry. You know I love you dearly. You've listened to me pour my heart out forever, it seems like, and I know we would always be great friends. I just can't take the chance that my presence in your life would hurt Neville." He heard a choking sound and felt his own eyes watering. "We wouldn't want to hurt his marriage. I know you just want him happy, so I will need to simply fade from the picture. Please try to understand me. I know it's hard... It's hard for me, too."

Something in Hope's voice cracked, and Neville chanced a peek. She was sitting between his parents, her head on his mother's bed. The surprising thing was the way mother looked as she patted Hope's head and moved her lips in something that was not entirely gibberish. His dad had her other hand and was patting it. He watched as Hope regained control of herself and smiled. She stood and kissed each of his parents on the cheek.

"Thank you. I'll come back tomorrow and every day until—well, until it wouldn't be right."

Neville stood behind a column as Hope passed by. The handkerchief she held to her face prevented her from noticing him. He walked into his parents' room and sat between them, in the chair Hope had just vacated.

"I have news," he said. "I think Hope and I will both continue to visit you for a very long while..."

* * *

After speaking with his parents and getting what he took as their blessing, he found her later in the greenhouses.

"Hope?"

"Lucky!" She smiled so brightly that he almost couldn't believe that she had been so sad a few minutes before. "You're all dressed up. What's the occasion?"

"You."

Now she blushed. "Stop teasing. Surely you have something important to do today, dressed as you are."

"I have a few weeks off just now. The only thing on my agenda for today is to find a wife."

For some reason, Hope felt her heart leap. "I thought you did that months and months ago." She pretended to inspect some rosemary.

"We broke it off, long since." He stood right behind her. He smelled her hair and it reassured him.

She clenched her hands, not sure what to make of it. "I thought she was your type."

"I was wrong about that. It turns out that only one woman fits my exact type. It wasn't her after all."

"I see. So you and Hannah broke it off?"

"She refused to marry me after the Boggart incident."

"That sounds a bit odd for a lady to refuse a gentleman over a Boggart."

"Not when the Boggart shows the gentleman a different lady."

Hope turned and looked at him, a question in her face.

"Your eyes are so beautiful, you know..." He sighed as he looked at her. "When I was preparing to leave, there was a Boggart in the trunk I planned to use. When I let it out, it wasn't your father any more, it was you, struggling with Malfoy. When I cast the _Riddikulus_ spell, it became you, in the arms of Nott. Finally, it was you, lying in a pool of blood. I couldn't go on. I was very upset, so Hannah had to get rid of it. All this time, Hope, I told myself I was afraid _of_ you. Your magic is so much more powerful than mine is, and you always seem so much more together than I am..."

"Lucky..."

"I've known all along how stupid it was. You've never been anything but supportive of me. You were my friend when everyone thought I was practically a squib, and you encouraged me every step of the way since. When I realized that my greatest fear was of something happening _to_ you...I spent my year away realizing how very dearly I care for you and how very much I love you.

"Gran sent me that article and I almost fell into despair, seeing that you were going to marry Nott at any time, now. Then I realized about the Patronus. I understood why you wouldn't let me see yours that day at the Ministry. I've always been a bit embarrassed about having a lion, as if it made me more of a Gryffindor than the others. It doesn't matter anymore, as long as I can always be with my lioness."

"Lucky?" A thought was forming in her mind and heart, and she didn't know if she should allow it.

He took her hands. "I love you, Hope. Please tell me you will marry me. I know we're still working on our studies and I know we may have to wait, but I want to know that our future will start soon." He looked into her face. She was stunned, but perhaps joyful as well. He chanced sliding his hands along her arms, up to her elbows, pulling her closer. Her lips were turning into the beginning of a smile. "Hope?"

"Oh, Lucky, I love you! Yes, I'll marry you. All this time, I hardly dared wish—" It was all he needed to pull her the rest of the way into his arms and kiss her, not for the first time, but for the time that would signal the start of their life together.

* * *

_A/N: That's pretty much the story. There's one more chapter to wrap things up._

Some will recognize the boots as something Mark Darcy requested a while back. Therefore, you may have seen them in other stories. When she did, it occurred to me that Neville had an equal claim to the snake skin as Professor Snape, although in a very different way.

Thank you to the kind reviewers tibys, Istani, and excessivelyperky, who have commented, and to Mark Darcy for beta reading.


	92. Two Special Occasions

_Disclaimer: Except for some OCs, the characters here and world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling._

January, 2001

The event planners had outdone themselves this time, mused Severus Snape. He was standing in his mother-in-law's back garden, which had been covered by an enormous tent and charmed to stay warm, since it was the Christmas Holiday. Of course, they had considerably longer than a week to arrange this party. His eyes searched for the woman who was easily the most beautiful one present to him. As had been the case the first time, they were standing at opposite ends of the crowd of guests, although this time he was at the back while she was at the front.

Emily smiled to him reassuringly as her arms reached down to quiet the little boys who clung to her skirts. Severus could see a trace of tiredness as well. She was keeping a secret from him. He knew that she was doing so, and he even knew what the secret was. He supposed she would tell him in her own time.

Longbottom—Neville, that is—was now standing with the officiator on the dais at the other end of the garden. He was wearing dress robes and looked as elegant as he had ever been seen, right down to his snakeskin boots. Hope had seen the boots given to her father and insisted that Neville have some, and that they be part of this day. Severus looked down at his own feet and marveled at the workmanship that had gone into making them and the stroke of bravery that made them possible. Trading a daughter for a pair of boots seemed a bit steep, but these boots had been hard won. The young man who destroyed Voldemort's snake and a piece of the Dark Lord's soul deserved great reward.

The boy looked nervous. It wasn't the nervousness that had greeted the Potions Professor for five years in the classroom. That had been closer to terror. This was anticipation and delight with just the slightest apprehension about the unknown.

The past six months had shown Professor Snape a completely different Neville Longbottom than the one he had previously known. This young man was still humble in knowing his limitations, but he had learned a confidence in the abilities he did have. He didn't brag about his activities during the war. His deeds, which had made him a hero, were now well known. He avoided mention of those things when possible, and instead concentrated upon his love of plant life. Pomona was saying that he would be a major force in Herbology when he had a chance to develop his own projects. Severus looked at Emily again and she looked at him, her eyebrows raised as if to tell him something.

Suddenly he remembered the event at hand. He looked over to the side, giving a signal. Music started playing, and a charming young woman appeared beside him. She wore a dress that was somehow both demure and womanly. It was made of filmy organza that floated around her when she moved and settled in layers that fell along her slim frame and accentuated her curves. Severus sighed. He had never gotten used to the idea of his daughter having curves. Her veil was held in place by a wreath of flowers that had been sent by the groom, and she carried a bouquet of the same flowers given by the same source.

The father offered his arm. "Are you ready, Little Girl?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, Daddy!"

They walked down the aisle of well wishers, friends, colleagues, and even some press. The professor's family was still written about, although less frequently than when Hope was dating Theodore Nott. They nevertheless were very interested in this wedding, and the Snapes had grudgingly allowed a minimal number of writers and photographers to be present.

The groom's face caught his eye. Neville was staring at Hope with an expression of rapture. Glancing to his side, Severus saw a similar look on his daughter's face. He remembered Emily wearing the same look on her face more than twenty years before, and wondered what she had seen in his. He could only recall being in awe of the radiant being who had walked toward him on that day.

They reached the dais and his portion was over. He squeezed his daughter's hand one last time and released her. Emily looked a bit blurry as he made his way toward her, but when he blinked his eyes he could see her more clearly. She reached for his hand and settled into his side as he reached down and picked up his youngest son.

He watched the pair being wedded and pondered the young man in whose hands he was putting his daughter's happiness. He pondered the differences he had seen in Neville Longbottom in the past months. Meetings had not been often since the Snapes were in residence at Hogwarts for the school term and the engaged pair was based in London, but they met on weekends from time to time. On some occasions, he had found the pair clasped in a passionate embrace, raising very different high emotions of his own. He was forced to admit to himself that such feelings between the pair were appropriate for a couple soon to be married, but asked himself why one of those people had to be his own daughter.

At another time Snape had come upon the pair standing in the hallway of the terraced house. Hope was nestled in Neville's arms and sobbing for all she was worth as he whispered into her ear. The older man stood and watched, impressed by the tenderness with which the younger man comforted his daughter. On realizing they were no longer alone, Neville looked up with fierce protectiveness in his face.

"She's had a horrible day at work. There was dark magic, and small children were involved..."

Severus could do nothing but nod his head and move on to his original destination. There was a time when the girl would have come to him or her mother for comfort, but she was no longer a girl. It had all passed so quickly. The scene before him today blurred again.

The ceremony was over too soon. The two on the dais gave their consent and made their vows. They were bound to each other and clasped into each other's arms. Severus sighed. His daughter was not his own any more. Emily raised her smiling face to his and hugged his arm. It wasn't such a terrible thing after all, and he smiled down at her.

Much of the evening passed too quickly. He tried to graciously accept the congratulations of his guests. Some of them had not spoken to him since the death of Dumbledore. Emily made sure the little ones got their dinner and then went in to more appropriate activities and bed. He watched as she sat next to Alison Black, who was holding a baby daughter. He knew well the look in Emily's eye as she chatted with the new mother. He wondered where Black had gotten to and finally spotted him with a group of Hope and Neville's classmates, plotting some mischief, no doubt.

He watched the newly-wed pair walk through the garden and greet all of their guests, never more than an arm's-reach apart. They spent a great deal of time sitting with the groom's parents, who were seated in a quiet corner table with a mediwitch from the hospital. They were clearly in awe of the event and all the people and commotion, but they seemed to enjoy being close to their son and new daughter-in-law.

The dancing began and the bride and groom seemed to float around the dance floor together. Today the pair showed the same grace together as they had at the Yule Ball years before. Severus looked around for his own bride and took her hand, guiding her onto the floor with him. They danced with an ease of their own as they looked into each other's eyes.

All too soon the event reached its climax. The bride and groom slipped out the back gate and on to their honeymoon. It now fell to the bride's parents, as host and hostess, to keep the party going. Severus slid his arm around Emily as the band began to play, and swung her into a new dance. He may have swung her around a bit too vigorously, because she suddenly looked distressed. Her face turned a shade of gray-green. He gently slid his arm around her back and led her to the kitchen. Some guests they passed asked if there was a problem.

"She's simply overcome with emotion from the day," he responded with a smile.

Once in the kitchen, Severus propped Emily up on a chair at the table and went to a cabinet. He found the ingredients for a potion that he hadn't made in more than twenty years. He remembered it perfectly, and soon brought it to his wife, who sipped it gratefully. He sat beside her and looked solemnly into her eyes.

"Emily, when are you going to tell me?"

Her face turned several different shades of color. "I wanted to wait until tonight, after this was all over."

"You didn't think I would notice?"

"We've been so busy with all our plans. I didn't want anything to keep this from being Hope's day."

"How long have you known?"

"I realized, just before we came for Christmas. Are you angry?"

He shook his head gently and kissed her hand as he gazed at her. "Do you think we could manage a girl this time? I love the boys, but our daughter is different. I'm going to miss her now, and it might be less lonely with another little girl in our home."

Emily smiled. "We'll have to see, but I wouldn't mind evening things up a bit, myself."

"Are you ready to return to the party? It will seem odd if we aren't there."

"Quite ready, for the party and for what comes later."

He stood and leered down at her. Offering his arm, he said, "Oh, yes. Dance and entertain our guests, but save some energy for what comes later, Mrs. Snape." He found a quiet corner and spent several minutes reminding his wife that their own honeymoon had never quite ended.

* * *

Hope and Neville wasted no time getting to their honeymoon destination. They came to their room and looked around it, then came back to the middle of the floor and looked at each other. Neville awkwardly gave his bride a chaste kiss and then took a step back, clenching and unclenching his fists. She had such trust in her face. If he did something wrong tonight...

"Hope, I don't know how to do this. I've never done it."

"I've never done it either, Lucky."

"Somehow I'll hurt you."

"It will pass, and I cannot imagine that will compare to the pleasure you give me just with your kisses."

"But what if I... I can be so clumsy." He looked helplessly at his hands.

"Lucky..." He looked up at her. "Was it fifth year that you got that plant from your uncle?"

He nodded. _"Mimbulus mimbletonia."_

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." She smiled. "I invented reasons to wander through the corridor and peek in your compartment on the train, just to watch you touch that plant. You caressed it, and spoke to it, and loved it. Before I had looked the third and fourth times, I realized that I wished I was the plant. It was the first time I ever felt desire, Lucky, and I felt it for you." She stepped closer to him, close enough to smell his scent. She closed her eyes in delight. "When I'm near you I think of things growing and living and I feel safe." She picked up his hand and pressed her lips into the palm, sliding the curve of her cheek into it. "Love me... please?"

Suddenly he couldn't stop himself. His other hand came up along the other side of her face and he kissed her until it wasn't enough. He had worried needlessly, he found. The hands that seemed so inept a moment before knew exactly what to do with this dearest of the living creatures that had ever been in his care. He touched and admired her in her gown, whispering his love for her into her ear as she sighed and clung to him.

He lifted her up and carried her to the bed, where he set her down and unfastened her dress. They kissed some more and he unwrapped her as the gift she was to him, enjoying each new discovery and finding with delight that his touch was pleasurable to her. At some point he realized that she had likewise undressed him and was touching him in ways he couldn't quantify. The pleasure she brought to him, through his enjoyment of her body and her exploration of his, threatened to overpower him. If there was any discomfort, it was a passing moment after all, and they both welcomed what came after.

Later they lay clasped together, enjoying the delicious chill falling over their bodies. They grew cold, but neither wanted to give up the closeness to lean up and reach for the blankets, yet. Hope reached out a hand and quietly Summoned them, and they covered themselves as they continued to kiss and speak softly to each other. After a while their kisses intensified and they continued their discovery of each other, this time with much less uncertainty and worry.

* * *

September, 2011

The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat at the head table of the Great Hall and surveyed the student tables as the older students filled them. At any moment the deputy Headmistress would arrive with the first years and Sorting would begin. He looked up and down the staff table. All but two of the seats were filled. The rest of the professors were prompt. He had carefully explained to all of them the necessity to be here before the students arrived. Two thirds of the staff were now Ravenclaws. He could count on Ravenclaws to be punctual, at least.

The Headmaster looked toward the Ravenclaw table, and now saw his elder sons coming into the Great Hall. Brendon was a cheerful lad, who had excelled in his studies. He would go on after this year to enter the Healer program. He had been chosen as prefect, and gave kind smiles to the younger children as he helped them find their seats. There had been a hope that he would be made Head Boy this year, but that went to a Hufflepuff. In order to avoid partiality, Headmaster Snape had turned the selection of Prefects and student Heads over to the faculty. So far the choices had not all been ones the Headmaster would have selected, yet they had been very good choices.

Albus was a different story. He went straight to the Ravenclaw table and started chatting with his circle of highly intelligent friends. There was no keeping that boy from learning about magic day and night, unless it was telling everything that he knew to anyone who happened past. Severus had muttered something about having a rotten know-it-all in the family into a Firewhiskey at the Hog's Head one night and Aberforth burst out laughing. "Sounds just like his namesake at that age," he chortled.

So far his family had produced one Slytherin and two Ravenclaws. Upstairs were two who were likely to be Hufflepuffs. Severus thought back to the day they were born. Emily's last pregnancy had not been easy, especially when it became clear she was carrying twins. The delivery had been a nightmare come to life.

_Emily spent the last few weeks on bed rest at St. Mungo's, trying to remain calm and cheerful. She missed her sons greatly, and became fractious with the constant inducements to rest and relax. When labor finally started, Severus could see that the pain this time was different and somehow worse. There came a moment when she looked at him and touched his face._

"I love you so very much," she said. "Take care of the children. Make sure they know how much I love them, too."

"Emily?"

She sighed and then smiled weakly at him. "I love you."

Something was terribly wrong. Suddenly, an assistant was holding a vial of potion to Emily's lips and another assistant was putting a chair close to her head and guiding Severus into it. He saw something no husband should have to see and then buried his face in the space between his wife's shoulder and ear.

"If you leave, my love, who will comfort me?" he asked her. The sleeping draught they had given her made it impossible to answer if she even heard him, but he continued to speak quietly of his love and of their plans and the necessity for her to get better and help him make those plans come to life.

It wasn't too much later when he found himself holding two sweet bundles and smiling down upon them. His mother-in-law sat with him and smiled, too. "You scared her half to death the night of the final battle," Margo said. "Perhaps she was just getting a bit of her own back?"

They both looked toward the bed, where Emily was now resting peacefully. "You're sure Emily will be fine?" he asked, still concerned.

"She will notice some differences, but she will recover."

They looked at the little girls again and spent some time admiring them. Severus kissed first one little forehead and then the other. There was a sigh from the bed and a wavering voice. "The babies?"

Emily's mother spoke first. "They've been patiently waiting to meet their mama, dear. Let me raise the head of your bed and you can become acquainted." Margo Smith raised her daughter's head, gently as the younger woman became aware of the pain in her lower abdomen and her eyes widened. The Healer smoothed down the sheets and kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Two lovely little girls, my dear; you have a fine family. I'll leave you to spend some time alone with them."

She smiled up to her husband. "So who do we have, here?"

She saw the terror and concern that crossed his face. "Emily, if you ever do anything like that to me again..." His voice trembled and broke. The worst had not happened, so he cleared his throat. "This," he said handing her a baby with a full head of dark hair and dark blue eyes, "is Felicity. I think she's hungry."

Emily opened her gown and fed her daughter. "Hello, Felicity. I'm your mama." She looked up to her husband and other baby daughter. Her hair seemed to be a medium brown and her eyes were lighter. "And who is that young lady?"

"This is Letitia. You have given me two beautiful daughters to console me for the loss of our eldest."

Emily snorted and then winced at the pain in her tummy. "You see her almost as often as when she was a student at the school."

"It's not the same," he muttered, "but I understand that she must live her life as we have been living ours. You gave me Hope as the child of our youth, Emily, and now in our maturity we have happiness and joy."

"It's all been my pleasure." She smiled up to him and he couldn't resist leaning over to taste her lips.

They went on delightfully, trading the babies as the one became full and the other was hungry. Severus watched Felicity fall asleep in his arms and put her into a bassinet. Then he moved the chair closer to the bed and took his wife's free hand within his own.

"Emily, they had to take drastic measures."

She winced with the pain again. "You don't think I noticed?"

"There was that, but even after the girls were born, there were problems. They had to do more... and there won't be any more children, Emily."

She looked at him silently and absorbed what he said.

"The Healers said that there would just be some changes to adjust to, but you will recover and be fine."

She had smiled up to him. "Do you recall how you comforted me when it looked for all those years as though Hope would be our only living child? You told me that we would be happy together regardless of what Fate chose to do with our family. It seems that Fate has spoken definitively and told us her plans."

The Herbology professor came running into the Great Hall, smoothing down his hair and straightening his tie. There were two things that might have ruffled the young man's hair, and since he had no smudges of dirt or sap it was clear to see which of the two he had recently engaged in. Severus made a mental note to speak with his daughter even as he looked stern and curled his lip. He knew it didn't have the same effect as when his son-in-law had been a terrified student. The Head of Gryffindor nodded apologetically and took his seat, leaving the Deputy Headmistress's seat as the only empty one.

All of the womenfolk of the family were upstairs in the Headmaster's quarters, along with young Frank, their grandson. Hope was expecting a second child now and discussing plans to switch from the Aurors to Magical Law. The things she saw as an Auror were occasionally too heartbreaking for a young mother. There was talk of an opening on the Wizengamot, but she was currently keeping her options open and weighing them all.

The twins would be ten years old in a couple of days, and would start school in two years. They had always been sweet, kittenish creatures, eager to please and always happy to cuddle and hug. The Headmaster thought to himself that they had Hufflepuff stamped all over them. Kittens grew into sly creatures, though. He had to allow himself a window of hope that one or the other might show more Slytherin tendencies soon.

That left the young man currently walking within the line of first years up to the stool and the hat as the best hope for a second Slytherin. This Severus Snape was not a scrawny, nervous boy, eager to meet his destiny because his life so far had been disappointing. This boy wore robes purchased new for him and although he was slender he looked well fed. He also had the same look of having been adored that the elder Severus had envied in his school mates forty years before. In other ways young Severus seemed identical to his father, except that he had a boldness that had not been beaten out of him during early childhood by a drunken father.

Professor Chang took up the scroll listing the first years and started summoning the children to be sorted. It looked like there was a fair mixture this year. The past couple of years had been skewed slightly to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw but it was starting to even back out.

At last the name "Snape, Severus" was called and the Headmaster watched his namesake come to sit on the stool. The hat was dropped on his head and the child's father knew a moment of misgiving. The boy had that streak of boldness, after all. Being so much like his father, he had to be Slytherin. Headmaster Snape closed his eyes and willed any word but--

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Everyone in the room went silent and looked at the Headmaster. In an instant, a million thoughts passed through his head. He thought of how much he loved his son and would not wish him to relive his own life. He thought of Dumbledore on a cold night saying, "Sometimes I think we sort too soon," and what Dumbledore had meant. He thought of Emily waiting upstairs and how she would comfort him for this blow. He shifted in his seat as he thought of her comforting him all night. The thought brought a smile to his face, which he shared with his young son, who was looking up at him in uncertainty. Young Severus's face brightened when he saw his father's smile. Then Headmaster Snape lifted his water goblet and saluted his son-in-law as the red and gold table broke into applause.

_finis_

_

* * *

_

A/N: I leave the rest for others to imagine as they please.

Thank you, very much, to everyone who has read this story. It's been a fun way to entertain myself for the past several months and has stretched almost exactly the same length of time as my other "work in progress." That will be complete early next week, so you won't see me for a few days. I am quite grateful to receive the well wishes many have extended as I finish this, as well. Thank you.

Thank you to the kind reviewers, including but not limited to angstycryingbaby47, babbington, debjunk, excessivelyperky, Istani, tibys, and williammoseleysgirl.

A very special thank you to Mark Darcy, who has beta read and mentored me through an introduction to the world of fan fic. If there is ever a fan fic hall of fame, you will surely be in it.


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